Five-time “Whiskey of the Year” winner to launch milestone latest edition with updated labeling
BARDSTOWN, KY—Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage, the world’s only vintage-dated single barrel Bourbon and one of the most critically-acclaimed American Whiskeys available, announces the release of the newest milestone 2000 Vintage—packaged with a striking new label. Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the second-largest holders of aging American Whiskey in the world and producer of the Evan Williams range of Bourbons, has updated the packaging for the Single Barrel Vintage bottling to better align the look with the flagship Evan Williams Black Label, the world’s second-leading selling Kentucky Bourbon.
Every year, typically beginning in January, Heaven Hill releases a new and highly anticipated vintage of Evan Williams Single Barrel. The world-renowned Bourbon has garnered many prestigious awards, including “Spirit of the Year – American Whiskey” from Food & Wine; “Domestic Whiskey of the Year” from Malt Advocate; and “Whiskey of the Year” from The Spirit Journal, the first Bourbon upon which the publication has bestowed this prestigious title. As with the previous 14 vintages, all of which are now highly sought after collector’s items, each bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 Vintage Bourbon is marked with the exact date that it was placed in oak and bottled, in addition to the exact serial number of the single barrel from which it was drawn.
The 86.6 proof Bourbon is matured in natural open-rick warehouses under the careful supervision of Heaven Hill’s father and son Master Distillers, Parker and Craig Beam, who monitor the progress of each year’s vintage to ensure it maintains its intended flavor profile and superb quality. The 2000 Vintage will be available nationally beginning in November 2009 at an average retail price of $25.99 for a 750 ml bottle, leading one noted spirits publication to confess, “Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon may be the best value of any whiskey, anywhere.”
The 2000 Vintage is shipping earlier than any of the previous 14 new vintages, due to strong consumer demand and the stringent quality standards for the super-premium Bourbon. “We have dumped and individually bottled over 700 ‘honey barrels’ for the 1999 vintage, more than any other prior year, and we feel like we need to switch over to the next vintage a bit earlier than in the past to account for the growing demand,” explained 6th generation Master Distiller Parker Beam.
The new 2000 vintage will also have a distinctive new look. The labeling, which has remained the same over the prior 14 vintages, is being updated to refresh the package and to graphically tie more strongly into the equity of the Evan Williams family logo, which adorns the second largest selling Bourbon in the United States and the world. The new packaging utilizes the same elegant bulb-neck bottle as in the past, but the familiar deckled-edge parchment label carrying the “Single Barrel Vintage” branding and “Put in Oak” date seal now has a bold black Evan Williams logotype transecting it. The back label, which carries hand-written designation of the barrel number, barreling date and bottling date, will remain largely the same, as will the familiar cork and black wax closure.
The new Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage bottling is traditionally debuted at a stylish “Vintage Unveiling” event for several hundred members of Heaven Hill’s Bardstown Whiskey Society and a select group of whiskey writers, and this year that tradition continued. On October 24, at the historic Henry Clay Building in Louisville, Society members and select whiskey writers got the opportunity to taste Barrel #1 of the new release straight from the oak cask, brought up from Rickhouse X in Bardstown where it has quietly matured on the top floor since March of 2000. They also had the opportunity to sample the fine Bourbon reduced to bottling strength of 86.6 proof.
Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heavenhill.com) has a diversified portfolio of brands that includes The Christian Brothers Brandies; Evan Williams and Elijah Craig Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys; Hpnotiq Liqueur; Whaler’s Rum; Burnett’s Gin and Vodkas; Dubonnet Aperitif; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Água Luca Brazilian Rum Cachaça and Lunazul Tequila.
Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”
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CONTACT:
Larry Kass
Director of Corporate Communications
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.
(502) 413-0220
lkass@heavenhill.com