mellow corn expanding is distribution area?

[cowdery]

I thought Platte Valley was a distillery in MO. Did they sell out to HH?

Yes, probably 20 years ago. A mere moment to old-timers like us, Stu.

Of the major distilleries, Heaven Hill is the only one that makes and sells corn whiskey. Some of the others make it for internal purposes, but only HH makes it for sale. So unless the corn whiskey you see is from a micro, it's from HH.

[ethangsmith]

I was mailed a sample from a friend that can get Mellow Corn. WOW! I need to find a good source of this stuff ASAP.

[fitzharry]

I've never had the opportunity to drink any Mellow Corn and am so envious of everyone that can buy it at their local stores.

I've been working to get it at Spec's in downtown Houston for some time now, but as I understand it Texas may not be in the distribution area yet. Just yesterday I emailed Heaven Hill to plead my case to them and even mentioned that I would order two cases of it from them, if I could get it. Figure that might last me for a year if I like Mellow Corn, which I'm pretty sure I will.

Until then, I am making do with Platte Valley and the Hirsch straight corn whiskies...but I sure would like to get some 100 proof Mellow Corn.

[fitzharry]

Well, I got the official word from Tiena Haag at Heaven Hill that "Currently, there are no retail outlets in Texas that carry Mellow Corn."

Unfortunately, I already knew this.

So I emailed her back and asked why Texas is not included in the distribution list, especially since we already receive most other Heaven Hill products.

For some reason, I don't think I'm going to receive another response...

Guess it's just time to hang it up and continue to drink Old Charter since I can't get the Mellow Corn.

[fitzharry]

Well, what do you know? I did indeed receive another response from Heaven Hill:

"This is a regional product. It is available in the following states:

Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
New York
Tennessee"

But I know they sell it in Oklahoma and I've seen it on North Carolina's ABC list, too, so why are they providing this incomplete response?

[White Dog]

Well, what do you know? I did indeed receive another response from Heaven Hill:

"This is a regional product. It is available in the following states:

Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
New York
Tennessee"

But I know they sell it in Oklahoma and I've seen it on North Carolina's ABC list, too, so why are they providing this incomplete response?

Because the Kentucky Bourbon industry is as backwards as they come. Mellow Corn can be purchased at Ray's Liquor in the Milwaukee area, and it's not dusty, but current.

[fitzharry]

Because the Kentucky Bourbon industry is as backwards as they come. Mellow Corn can be purchased at Ray's Liquor in the Milwaukee area, and it's not dusty, but current.

I think you are absolutely correct. And, since Heaven Hill is a privately-held company, they really don't have to tell us anything if they don't want to. Sad, but true.

[HHBOURBONMAN]

Larry from Heaven Hill here. Firstly, I want to thank everyone for the nice comments about Mellow Corn BIB. I have been on a bit of a personal mission for several years now to see that this gets a bit more attention...

I was hoping Fitzharry might have already posted this, but in fact Tiena, who works with me, did get back to him and provide more information on where the brand can be found. Tiena in customer service is able to access two types of information--our own reports which detail what we shipped to each of our wholesalers, and a report provided by our wholesalers that tells what retail and on-premise accounts they then shipped our product to (because as a supplier, we are, as most of you probably know, prohibited from selling directly to retailers). Tiena had originally provided him with the list of retail accounts that our wholesalers generate for us that said they stocked Mellow Corn. This information can be a bit sketchy and in the case of control states often unavailable, especially for a tiny brand like Mellow Corn, which is why Tiena then went back to him and gave him the list of states we shipped Mellow Corn into, which was

Arkansas
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Mississippi
Montana
New York
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington

Hope this explains a bit and helps...we as an industry are not as backwards, and we as a company are not as uncaring, as some might imply.

[ethangsmith]

Larry,

Glad to see a list of state I can get Mellow Corn in. Is there any way to get it in Maryland? I live in PA, so there is NO chance of the PLCB picking it up any time soon as far as I know, so my next best-bet is to get it in Maryland. What is the reasoning for only distributing in certain states? Is it limited supply or just fear of not selling well? I would drink Mellow Corn every evening if I could, and I have a few friends that would as well- if we could get it! It's an awesome and unique product!

[White Dog]

Larry from Heaven Hill here. Firstly, I want to thank everyone for the nice comments about Mellow Corn BIB. I have been on a bit of a personal mission for several years now to see that this gets a bit more attention...

I was hoping Fitzharry might have already posted this, but in fact Tiena, who works with me, did get back to him and provide more information on where the brand can be found. Tiena in customer service is able to access two types of information--our own reports which detail what we shipped to each of our wholesalers, and a report provided by our wholesalers that tells what retail and on-premise accounts they then shipped our product to (because as a supplier, we are, as most of you probably know, prohibited from selling directly to retailers). Tiena had originally provided him with the list of retail accounts that our wholesalers generate for us that said they stocked Mellow Corn. This information can be a bit sketchy and in the case of control states often unavailable, especially for a tiny brand like Mellow Corn, which is why Tiena then went back to him and gave him the list of states we shipped Mellow Corn into, which was

Arkansas
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Mississippi
Montana
New York
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington

Hope this explains a bit and helps...we as an industry are not as backwards, and we as a company are not as uncaring, as some might imply.

Fair enough, but your records should also show sales to Wisconsin. Your WI distributor, Badger Liquor, special orders it for Ray's Liquor of Wauwatosa, WI. You conveniently failed to address this. So yes, everyone, this can also be purchased in Wisconsin, regardless of what HH Corporate puts out.