New Heaven Hill ad

[cowdery]

Heaven Hill has a very nice, new ad in the most recent version of WHISKY Magazine. The attached picture is just a small part of it, but it's the part I found most interesting. The theme of the ad is: "The Art and Soul of American Whiskey." Again, I like it, but I find it interesting which of their brands they included and which they did not.

Rittenhouse Rye BIB -- in (maybe this explains the big recent price increase)
Old Fitzgerald, any expression -- out
Henry McKenna, any expression (including the upscale one) -- out

[OscarV]

When I went on the HH tour they were pushing very heavily the Parker's, EW Single Barrel and Elijah Craig 18yo.
The line up in that photo are the best that HH offers in my opinion.
I have to say they failed to live up to the taste of the previous owners of Old Fitgerald and Henry McKenna.
But they probably put just those 8 in the pic because we can only retain so much info at once.

[Phantos]

Interesting...
you would think they would push the Old Fitz bib...
it's the best juice, maybe give it a fancy bottle and new label.
not that it needs it or nor do we need a price increase and we are happy to keep our secrets...
but Old Fitz bib is the money.
awesome juice for the buck.

are any of those products featured in the photo Old Fitz mashbill?

[independant]

Looking at this photo they just included the most widely avalible whiskeys that they produce. Its a good photo.

[cowdery]

I was curious in particular about the absense of any Old Fitz expression, although if they're perhaps in the process of developing a more up-to-date higher end Fitz to replace VSOP, that would be a good thing. So far, in the wheated bourbon segment, BT with Weller is eating HH's lunch.

[Phantos]

in the wheated bourbon segment, BT with Weller is eating HH's lunch.

Very true.
I am a little bit scared that they didn't represent Old Fitz in the ad.
I would truly hate to see it disappear.
They could easily sell it @ $25 a 750ml.
It's that damn good.

[cowdery]

They won't discontinue it but they might sell it. Perhaps, in the tradition of Buffalo Trace repatriating Old Taylor, Diageo will buy it and bring it home. That wouldn't be terrible. Since I know they were buying white dog from Barton, among others, maybe Barton was making the wheated bourbon we've just learned about for them. Of course, if that were true, Diageo would have it aging in Shively, it wouldn't still be in Bardstown and now owned by BT. There, I've debunked my own rumor.

[Josh]

Since I know they were buying white dog from Barton, among others, maybe Barton was making the wheated bourbon we've just learned about for them. Of course, if that were true, Diageo would have it aging in Shively, it wouldn't still be in Bardstown and now owned by BT. There, I've debunked my own rumor.

When I read "wheat" in some of those OT posts from you & John, I though you were talking about a straight wheat that Tom Moore was making. So it was actually a wheated bourbon?

[cowdery]

I'm not only debunking my own rumors, I'm correcting myself. You're right, it was wheat whiskey.

Of course, HH made Bernheim because they were mashing wheat for Old Fitz and thought why not? Perhaps the same thing happened at Tom Moore?

I know that Diageo has, for the last several years, been buying a couple million proof gallons of bourbon white dog a year each from Barton, Brown Forman and Jim Beam, and aging it at Stitzel-Weller, to make up for what they're no longer getting from Four Roses. (Go here for more.)

[funknik]

Heaven Hill has a very nice, new ad in the most recent version of WHISKY Magazine. The attached picture is just a small part of it, but it's the part I found most interesting. The theme of the ad is: "The Art and Soul of American Whiskey." Again, I like it, but I find it interesting which of their brands they included and which they did not.

Rittenhouse Rye BIB -- in (maybe this explains the big recent price increase)
Old Fitzgerald, any expression -- out
Henry McKenna, any expression (including the upscale one) -- out

I think this is a fairly wide-angle view of what HH makes . . . wheat whiskey, rye whiskey and a few bourbons of varying ages & particulars (cheap, 10yr, 12yr, 18yr, Small batch, single barrel, BIB) . . . . a good overview.

Usually their literature has just the McKenna BIB (which I think is awesome!), EWSB, EC12, EC18 & VSOF . . . . it's good to see them broaden their advertising scope.

Chuck mentions the Ritt BIB going up in price? I don't get it here in Maine, but I usually see it in other place for between $15-18 . . . is that pre or post price increase?

As for the Old Fitz expressions not being represented, I think there may be a couple of factors, although I'm only guessing -- the first being that the labels just aren't as pretty as most of these -- aside from the EWB (which has that JD charm), these are all pretty nice looking bottles and that creates a certain image. As far as the Old Fitz availability, that might be factor, too -- I see it almost nowhere in the Northeast in my travels. Also, I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I find the Old Fitz's that I've had to be pretty below par . . . well below par compared to the Wellers (which tend to be a little cheaper, to boot).

My two cents.