Roelli Cheese Co., Shullsburg, Wis., was named Best of Show at the 2016 American Cheese Society competition in Des Moines, Iowa, this summer. The company won for its Little Mountain cheese, a washed rind alpine cheese made with raw cow’s milk in the appenzeller style. It is aged 6 months and has a smooth, nutty flavor. Little Mountain is created in partnership with the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wis.
Two cheeses tied for second place. They were Buff Blue made by Bleating Heart Cheese, Tomales, Calif.; and St. Malachi Reserve from The Farm at Doe Run, Pa. Two cheeses also tied for third place. They were Jeffs’ Select Gouda made by Caves of Faribault, Minn., and Greensward by Jasper Hill Farms, Greensboro, Vt., with Murray’s Cheese Shop, New York City.
A total of 1,843 cheeses from 260 companies were entered in the competition from the United States (37 states), Canada (three provinces) and Colombia.