“Haven Hill” from the category of American whiskey, which is considered to be the standard: bourbon without surprises – optimal strength (40-60 degrees), slightly oily, with a mild taste and no pronounced aroma.
Historical reference. Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc was founded not so long ago – in the 30s of the last century after the repeal of Prohibition. Opening a business during this period was risky – many enterprises that successfully survived the anti-alcohol campaign had their own distilleries, stocks of spirits, barrels and well-equipped warehouses. The five Shapiro brothers had to start from scratch – with the construction of a distillery on Heaven Hill (Heaven Hill) in the town of Bardstown.
The brothers were assisted by Joseph Beam, a well-known blending master in the circles of bourbon producers, who collaborated with various factories. When the distillery opened, Joseph joined the Shapiro brothers as a partner and brought his youngest son Harry to Old Heavenhill Springs (the old name). At first, in addition to Shapiro and Bimov, only 12 employees worked in the company. It was in 1935, then production expanded:
- In 1942, Old Heavenhill Springs received a government order to produce spirits for the war effort and began to build up its capacity.
- In 1946, the position of Master Distiller was taken by Earl Beam, who left the family company Jim Beam Company, but did not break family ties. Since then, both companies have been working side by side, supporting each other, exchanging equipment and spirits.
- In 1975, Earl Beam was replaced by his son Parker, and 8 years later, Earl’s grandson, Craig, joined. Family businesses merged.
- In 1996, the last of the Shapiro brothers, George, died. And in late autumn, the distillery on Heavenly Hill burned down with seven warehouses and 30 million liters of whiskey. This fire has gone down in Kentucky’s history as one of the biggest disasters, destroying over 2% of US whiskey stocks.
Eyewitnesses describe rivers of fire and huge barrels flying up into the sky like rockets. Human casualties were avoided. The main secret ingredient has also been preserved – the Heaven Hill yeast strain, which has been used since the founding of the distillery.
The distillery on Sky Hill was not restored, nor was a new one built. Instead, they bought the small Bernheim factory from Diageo and made it their main business. But the head office still remained in Bardstown. For the production of whiskey at that time, they had to buy other people’s spirits and make blends according to their own recipes or rent distilleries and set up the production of their own spirits there. But by the beginning of the XNUMXst century, the capacity was completely restored, as were the reserves of alcohols.
As before, Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc. remains a family business, does not seek international partners, investment support and does not pursue the glory of America’s alcohol leader. But the number of spirits produced, and traditional recipes, and even the very location in the center of American whiskey production – Kentucky, creates the company’s image as the main supplier of bourbon.
Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc. owns 112 brands of whiskey, and bourbons are only a small part of this list and often bear the names of local producers who simply rented distilleries. Bourbon is popularized by the annual Kentucky Bourbon festival, which has been held under the auspices of the company for 30 years.
Types of Heaven Hill Bourbons
Heaven Hill, Old Style Bourbon. Classic bourbon of warm caramel color with a mild taste of spices and 40% alcohol. Slightly sweet, has a long aftertaste with a hint of vanilla. The smell is subtle, with hints of almonds and caramel, a pleasant chocolate plume. A four-year aging in a new, internally charred white oak barrel added woody notes to the aroma.
Heaven Hill, Evan Williams. The original bourbon is golden amber in color with rye as an additional grain. A drink with a light vanilla aroma and a mild caramel taste. Fortress 43%. Four years of aging in oak barrels affected the taste – subtle, tart woody tones appeared.
In 2011, Malt Advocate Magazine’s Evan Williams was named Best Buy Whiskey of the Year.
Heaven Hill, Old Fitzgerald. Strong bourbon (45%) with a large proportion of wheat as an additional grain. A drink with a spicy smell of cloves and cinnamon, a multifaceted taste dominated by tart woody notes and the sweetness of caramel. Eight years of aging in oak barrels enhanced the flavors and made the copper color even brighter.
Heaven Hill, Rittenhouse Rye. Classic rye whiskey of deep amber color, very strong – 50%, with a discreet aroma of dry herbs and a taste of spices: cinnamon, cloves, coriander, nutmeg.
Experts explain the popularity of Rittenhouse Ray in the United States by the desire of Americans spoiled by good bourbons to recall the taste of classic rye whiskey that dominated America before the introduction of Prohibition.
All Heaven Hill bourbons are drunk both as a digestif and as an aperitif: with ice, soda or, in American style, with Coca-Cola.