Category: Awards

America’s largest family-owned independent takes 8 medals at the nation’s foremost spirits competition, including “Best Rye Whiskey”

FOR RELEASE: April 8, 2008

 BARDSTOWN, KY–Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. can brag not only about the quality, but also about the variety, of its American Whiskey portfolio after the results from the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition were announced.  Heaven Hill, the nation’s largest independent family-owned spirits supplier and the world’s second-largest holder of aging American Whiskey, is the only US distillery that still produces all the recognized major styles of American Straight Whiskeys–Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Corn Whiskey and Wheat Whiskey.  And having just won Gold Medals for their Bourbon and Wheat Whiskeys, a Silver for their Corn Whiskey, and Double Gold/Best Rye Whiskey for the Rittenhouse Very Rare 23-Year-Old Single Barrel, they can confidently assert that their array of Whiskey styles is world-class throughout.

Highlighting Heaven Hill’s results is Rittenhouse Very Rare 23-Year-Old Single Barrel Rye Whisky, which not only garnered a Double Gold Medal–meaning every judge on the panel awarded it a Gold Medal designation–but was also named “Best Rye Whiskey”.  This marks the second time in three years that a Rittenhouse Rye bottling has captured a major award at the San Francisco competition, with the Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond expression winning the Double Gold and the Top North American Whiskey Trophy in 2006.  Also winning a Double Gold Medal was Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon, the oldest Single Barrel Bourbon available today.  Additionally, Heaven Hill was awarded a Gold Medal for its unique Bernheim Original Straight Wheat Whiskey, giving the highly-regarded distiller Gold Medals for three different American Straight Whiskey styles–Bourbon, Rye and Wheat.  And when you include Heaven Hill’s Mellow Corn Bottled-In-Bond Straight Corn Whiskey, which captured a Silver Medal, it means the company medaled in four distinct styles, an unprecedented accomplishment.  In addition, Heaven Hill received Silver Medals for Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon–the country’s number two selling brand of Bourbon–Evan Williams Single Barrel 1998 Vintage Bourbon, Parker’s Heritage Collection Bourbon, and a Bronze Medal for Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon.

“We are of course very proud of the designation of Rittenhouse 23-Year-Old Rye as the ‘Best Rye Whiskey’ winner, but we are equally proud of the number of medals we won across many different American Whiskey styles,” noted Heaven Hill’s American Whiskey Brand Manager, Susan Wahl.  “Given the unprecedented popularity of super-premium Bourbon, and the resultant consumer frenzy to sample other American Whiskey styles such as Rye, we feel this showing in San Francisco not only validates our position as a top Bourbon producer, but also clearly demonstrates our range and commitment to other American Straight Whiskey types.”

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the first comprehensive, international spirits judging ever held in the United States on an annual basis. Founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue, the Executive Director of the San Francisco International Wine Competition and Carol Seibert, the Managing Director of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the Spirits Competition continues to grow each year in entrants as well as in stature within the industry.  This year 847 spirits were submitted and evaluated, up from 715 in 2007, and six out of the seven continents (only Antarctica was missing) were represented, making it a globally influential spirits competition.

Founded in 1934, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heaven-hill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned marketer and producer of distilled spirits products. Aging in its facilities is the second largest holding of Kentucky whiskey in the world. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio includes: The Christian Brothers Brandies; Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; Whaler’s Rum; Burnett’s Gin and Vodkas; Dubonnet Aperitif; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Água Luca Brazilian Rum Cachaça, Scotch Whiskies; Canadian Whiskies; vodka; gins; rums; tequilas; cognacs; liqueurs; cordials; and dessert wines. Heaven Hill is based in Bardstown, KY.

 

CONTACT:

Larry Kass

Director of Corporate Communications

Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.

(502) 413-0220

lkass@heaven-hill.com

Partnership brings together America’s largest independent family-owned spirits supplier and Mexico’s first family of Tequila

BARDSTOWN, KY—Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the nation’s largest independent family-owned spirits supplier, has announced a joint venture with Tierra de Agaves, the Mexican spirits company founded by Francisco Beckmann and sons, former co-owner of Jose Cuervo. The partnership involves joint ownership of the Lunazul and La Certeza Tequila brands, combining Heaven Hill’s global distribution network and marketing expertise with Tierra de Agaves’ multi-generational focus on cultivating estate-grown blue agave plants and producing the finest 100% Agave Tequilas.

The arrangement brings together two of the last remaining family-owned and operated companies in an industry that was once known for its interrelated, independent players. In today’s environment of mergers, acquisitions and “right-sizing”, the coming together of two recognizable and highly successful family-owned spirits concerns is quite noteworthy.

Heaven Hill will add Lunazul and La Certeza to a portfolio that already includes leading spirits brands such as Evan Williams Bourbon, Christian Brothers Brandy, Burnett’s Gin and Vodka, Hpnotiq and Pama Pomegranate Liqueur. Lunazul is a super-premium 100% agave Tequila offered in both Blanco and Reposado bottlings. But while its pedigree and taste profile are top-tier, at $19.99 and $21.99, respectively, for a 750ml bottle, Lunazul is actually priced at parity with premium “mixto” Tequilas—those that use only 51% agave in their recipe and replicate the golden hue of barrel-aging through the use of coloring agents. Lunazul is also available in a 1.0 liter size, and both the liter and 750ml are presented in cutting edge packaging that appeals to the target Echo Boom consumers through a unique “tribal” die-cut wrap-around label and background “tattoo” graphics, but still reflects the tradition of the category with traditional hand-tooled label design and wolf and agave icons.

La Certeza is an award-winning 100% agave Tequila that is positioned to combine a sophisticated image with traditional Mexican authenticity. Available in Blanco ($40), Reposado ($45) and Anejo ($60) 750ml and 50ml bottlings, La Certeza was awarded a Gold and two Silver Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. La Certeza is the culmination of the skills of 7 generations of Tequileros and agave growers, packaged in a unique bottle that is inspired by its Aztec and colonial Mexican heritage. The chiseled, angular package, which hearkens back to the pre-Colombian pyramids, creates a strikingly masculine design, offset by the simplicity and minimalism of the label graphics.

Both Lunazul and La Certeza are estate-grown, small-batch distilled and bottled approximately 5 kilometers from the town of Tequila in Jalisco province. The state-of-the-art distillery, completed in 2002, is located between the foothills of the Tequila Volcano and the deep valley of the Rio Grande River, a region recently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The vertical integration of source materials, distillation and bottling ensures consistency of taste and quality, backed by the legacy of the Beckmann family. Francisco Beckmann Vidal, founder of Tierra de Agaves, was the co-owner along with his brother Juan of Tequila Cuervo, which they inherited from their father, Juan Beckmann Gallardo, the son of Virginia Gallardo, sole heir of Tequila Cuervo. Tierra de Agaves is one of the few Tequila distilleries that actually own the land on which the agave is grown and harvested, carefully selected from the 3,500 acres of Weber Blue Agave plants that the Beckmann family and their past generations have controlled since 1758.

Heaven Hill Distilleries, as the largest independent family-owned spirits supplier in the United States, will support the launch of the Lunazul and La Certeza Tequila brands with the sales and marketing resources that have also made it the seventh largest overall spirits producer in the country. “Our partnership with Tierra de Agaves is an arrangement that brings together two like-minded, growth-oriented families who have had a substantial track record of success in the spirits industry,” noted Heaven Hill president Max L. Shapira. “We believe the addition of the Lunazul and La Certeza brands significantly bolsters our company’s portfolio in the Tequila segment, where 10-11% per annum growth continues to outpace the rest of the spirits industry.”

Founded in 1934, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heaven-hill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned marketer and producer of distilled spirits products. Aging in its facilities is the second largest holding of Kentucky whiskey in the world. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio includes: The Christian Brothers Brandies; Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; Whaler’s Rum; Burnett’s Gin and Vodkas; Dubonnet Aperitif; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Água Luca Brazilian Rum Cachaça, Scotch Whiskies; Canadian Whiskies; vodka; gins; rums; tequilas; cognacs; liqueurs; cordials; and dessert wines. Heaven Hill is based in Bardstown, KY.

 

CONTACT:

Larry Kass

Director of Corporate Communications

Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.

(502) 413-0220

lkass@heaven-hill.com