“It’s a batch that just kind of kicked around our cellars for a long time,” said Andy Hatch, who purchased the cheese company from his mentor, Mike Gingrich, in 2014. “It’s like cooking down a stock. The flavors get more complex and intense as they get older. It’s a beautiful cheese, no doubt about it.”

Pleasant Ridge Reserve won Best of Show in the American Cheese Society’s annual competition in 2001, 2005 and 2010 and won the U.S. Cheese Championships, held in alternating years with the world contest, in 2003.

The other U.S. qualifiers were a Winnimere cheese in the smear ripened soft cheese category from the Cellars at Jasper Hill in Vermont and a sheep’s milk cheese from Central Coast Creamery in California.

The contest began Monday with cheese, butter and yogurt entries from 23 countries and 31 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Winners in the 110 categories squared off Wednesday afternoon to qualify for the final event with judges selecting two cheeses each from eight tables. Judges used poker chips to simultaneously select their favorite cheese.

Canada had one in the Sweet 16 finals, with the remainder from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Spain.