The U.S. Cheese Championship(link is external), a biennial contest held this year in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, deployed a professional panel of judges to evaluate over 2,249 entries. A first, second, and third place cheese or dairy product was named for each of the 113 entry categories. The 20 highest scoring cheeses were then evaluated for a final round of judging.
Whitney(link is external), Jasper Hill Farm(link is external)’s top scoring entry, is the American Cheese Society’s current Best in Show Champion. It is a raw milk, semi-firm cheese made with natural cultures from the Farm’s own herd of cows. Whitney has a velvet-smooth, supple texture, rosy-orange hued washed rind, and notes of butter and toasted nuts. Whitney’s recipe is based on classic European Mountain style cheeses designed for melting, and as such, it took first in the Raclette-style category at both the ACS and USCC Competitions.
Whitney and Alpha Tolman–a similar cheese that is a bit firmer and longer aged–have both been highly ranked in national and international competitions since the recent renovation of Jasper Hill Farm’s original creamery. The upgraded facility features a pair of copper-lined cheese vats and associated equipment that were salvaged from a French Comté cheese plant.
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