Heavenhill

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

New 25-year-old version follows the critically-acclaimed 21 and 23-year-old expressions released in prior years

BARDSTOWN, KY—Can the third time possibly be more charming than the first two?  That is the question for American Whiskey enthusiasts as Heaven Hill Distilleries announces the release of the third and final bottling of Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel Rye.  Following the release of the 21-year-old bottling in 2006 and the 23-year-old  in late 2007, the new 25-year-old expression—drawn from the final barrels of the same lot as the first two Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel releases—will have big shoes to fill.

The 21-year-old bottling captured a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and in November of 2007 the second-edition 23-year-old was released, and it captured the “Best Rye Whiskey” award, and a double gold medal, from the San Francisco Spirits Competition.  And at the San Francisco event the year before, another Rittenhouse version, the Bottled-in-Bond, was named “North American Whiskey of the Year”.  So how can the new 25-year-old release, shipping this November, surpass the accolades of its predecessors?  Time will tell, but Heaven Hill father and son Master Distillers Parker and Craig Beam see no discernable drop off in quality in the newest release.

“This whiskey, at 25 years old, pushes the limits of barrel aging like the two releases before it,” observed legendary 6th generation distiller Parker Beam. “But like those earlier releases, these barrels have aged on the very first floor of Rickhouse OO.  The more moderate aging conditions on that low level kept the whiskey from getting too woody and tannic.  And by releasing this as a non-chill filtered product—also like the first two—all the flavorful esters and taste components really come through.  It’s a real marvel of nature!”

With straight rye whiskey enjoying a huge renaissance among both whiskey aficionados and mixologists, the few suppliers that still make and age rye are hard pressed to maintain stocks for their current labels.  Heaven Hill’s Rittenhouse Bottled-in Bond rye is on strict allocation and stocks are extremely limited for the second year in a row.  So when a new bottling of rye whiskey comes out, it is greeted with eager anticipation by the nation’s whiskey-loving populace.   The first two editions of Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel Rye were quickly depleted from Heaven Hill’s warehouse, and with the continuing resurgence of rye there is every reason to believe the third and final edition will sell out just as quickly. 

“A huge and relatively rapid upsurge in demand has made any barrel of rye a highly prized commodity in today’s market,” noted Heaven Hill brand manager Susan Wahl.  “If a 4 year old barrel of rye whiskey is worth its weight in gold, so to speak, then superb barrels of extraordinarily aged rye are priceless.  And American Whiskey connoisseurs, who already consider the first two Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel bottlings to be prized possessions, are in for a real treat with this last edition.”

Rittenhouse Very Rare 25-year-old Single Barrel Rye, which will be available in major metro markets throughout the country for the holiday season at an average retail price of $190 for a 750ml bottle, is a very limited release—only one thousand 3-bottle cases, or a total of 3,000 bottles, will be shipped within the US, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.  The 100 proof  whiskey is very rare, indeed, for a number of reasons—its single barrel designation, its remarkable age, its pedigree as a Heaven Hill straight rye, its lack of chill filtering.  When all combined into one outstanding, impressively dressed package, it will represent a new “holy grail” for American Whiskey and Rye Whiskey lovers.

Rye whiskey has undergone a major resurgence as consumers, energized by the array of specialty Bourbons introduced in the 1990’s and this decade, have reached out to discover other styles of American straight whiskey.  Heaven Hill Distilleries, the country’s second largest producer of Bourbon, also takes great pride in the fact that they are the only one of the nation’s major distillers who make all the recognized styles of American straight whiskey—Bourbon, rye whiskey, corn whiskey, even their Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey.  Rye, which was the first straight whiskey produced in the thirteen colonies and was until the late 20th century the preeminent style of American Straight Whiskey, is prized among whiskey lovers for its sharp, fruity taste and spicy finish.  Heaven Hill was one of three distilleries that kept the rye category alive during the 1970’s and 1980’s, despite stagnant or declining sales.   

Founded in 1934, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heaven-hill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands 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, 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@heaven-hill.com

2009 “Golden Anniversary” Bottling Celebrates Master Distiller Parker Beam’s 50 Years of Craftsmanship

BARDSTOWN, KY—Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the country’s largest independent family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer, announces the September release of the third edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection, a limited annual series of rare, aged American Whiskeys that pays tribute to 6th Generation Master Distiller Parker Beam. The third release, the 2009 “Golden Anniversary” edition, specifically celebrates Parker’s 50 years as a distiller, beginning in 1960, by marrying Bourbons from each of his five decades of craftsmanship in a rare and limited bottling. 

The 2009 release of Parker’s Heritage Collection comes on the heels of two of Heaven Hill’s most highly acclaimed whiskeys, the barrel-proof 11-year-old 2007 edition Bourbon that was named one of Malt Advocate “Top Ten New Whiskies of 2007” and placed #21 in F. Paul Pacult’s “111 Best Whiskeys, Brandies, Liqueurs and White Spirits in the World”, and the 27-year-old 2008 Bourbon that won Best of Show, Brown Spirits at the most recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition and was named “North American Whiskey of the Year” by Malt Advocate. The Golden Anniversary edition will be offered nationally in a 750ml bottle, like the previous two Parker’s Heritage Collection releases, and will be bottled at 100 proof with an average retail price of $150. The entire production run will only number 1500 three bottle cases, which will be allocated across the country and in select international markets and which will undoubtedly sell out as quickly as the previous editions.

Only Heaven Hill Distilleries, with the world’s second largest inventory of aging Bourbon and nearly 50% of the world’s supply of Bourbon barrels over 8 years old, could bring these rare and aged whiskeys to market. Parker Beam, along with his son Craig, oversees one of the world’s most highly esteemed distilling operations, where renowned brands such as Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald, and Evan Williams, the world’s second largest selling Bourbon, are produced according to Parker and Craig’s seven-generation- old family recipe and yeast strain. Aged in traditional open-rick warehouses in Nelson County, the Bourbons used to make the Golden Anniversary edition were personally selected and married together by Parker, with the majority of the whiskey aged 10 to 20 years, and much lesser amounts of older whiskey.

To create the rare marriage of whiskeys, barrels from the 1970’s and 80’s were pulled from a variety of 3rd floor locations where temperatures are more variable. Barrels from the 1990’s and 2000’s were pulled from the highest floors in the rickhouse where greater temperature swings promote the aging process. These were combined with a very small amount of Bourbon from the 1960’s to complete the five decade blend.

“This superlative Bourbon, a fitting tribute to an industry icon, has been 50 years in the making,” commented Susan Wahl, brand manager for whiskeys at Heaven Hill. “The superior quality of the whiskey, its scarcity, and the fact that it is in recognition of a beloved figure in the American distilling industry should combine to make this a highly-sought after bottling.”

Packaged in the same bottle as the 2007 and 2008 editions, the Parker’s Heritage Collection Golden Anniversary bottling carries a distinctive gold and buff face label rather than the black and gold label of the previous two releases. It also features the cork closure and black and gold capsule of the prior Cask Strength and 27-Year-Old versions.

“I’m honored that Heaven Hill is recognizing my 50 years with this bottling, and I’m also excited that I was able to select and combine Bourbons of such varying ages,” stated Parker Beam. “This was a fun and rewarding project and I hope everyone agrees with me that we have created a very special Bourbon, with blending unlike any other.”

Future editions of Parker’s Heritage Collection, to be released annually every Fall, will feature unique expressions of American Whiskey styles drawn from Heaven Hill’s inventory of more than 700,000 aging barrels. Heaven Hill, as the only remaining national distiller that produces Bourbon, Rye, Corn and Wheat Whiskeys (Tennessee Whiskey being the remaining straight whiskey type, which must by law be made in Tennessee), has in its rickhouses more American Whiskey styles/types than any other producer—barrels that would typically be dumped for acclaimed brands like Evan Williams and Elijah Craig Bourbon, Rittenhouse Rye, Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey and Mellow Corn Corn Whiskey.

But Parker Beam, who oversees all aspects of whiskey production, aging and selection at Heaven Hill alongside his son Craig, much as Parker did with his father Earl, has earmarked select barrels of each of these styles to be dumped for future editions of Parker’s Heritage Collection.

Founded in 1934, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands 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, Lunazul Tequila and La Certeza Tequila. Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”

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CONTACT:
Larry Kass
Corporate Communications Director
Heaven Hill Distilleries
(502) 413-0220
lkass@heavenhill.com