Ten High is now a blend, at least in New York.

[cowdery]

Be on the look out for Ten High labeled not as "Kentucky Straight Sour Mash Bourbon Whiskey," but as "Bourbon Whiskey - a Blend."

My friend in upstate New York, who discovered this outrage after he got the bottle home, was told by his whiskey monger that the straight has been discontinued.

My friend wondered if this was some depredation by the brand's new owner, but I assured him it can't be Sazerac's fault, as that deal won't even close for another month or so.

The Constellation Spirits web site still shows the only available expression of Ten High as being the 80-proof straight bourbon we all know and love...well, know, anyway.

Ten High was once a big brand, made by Hiram Walker in Peoria, Illinois. It passed first to Heaven Hill, then to Barton. The name refers to aging in the upper part of the warehouse, at the tenth rick high or above.

[sotnsipper]

Be on the look out for Ten High labeled not as "Kentucky Straight Sour Mash Bourbon Whiskey," but as "Bourbon Whiskey - a Blend."

The Constellation Spirits web site still shows the only available expression of Ten High as being the 80-proof straight bourbon we all know and love...well, know, anyway.

Ten High was once a big brand, made by Hiram Walker in Peoria, Illinois. It passed first to Heaven Hill, then to Barton. The name refers to aging in the upper part of the warehouse, at the tenth rick high or above.

I actually looked at a bottle of this the other day because it was stuck over on the "Canadian Whiskey" shelf. I can remember drinking this a while back, well a few years back, and remember it being the straight whiskey. I guess the store just ran out of room on the shelf because it is still labeled this way here in TN. It is funny that you make this post after I actually picked up(not to buy)this bottle just the other day. I will keep my eye on it to see if the label changes any time soon. Don't think it is a fast mover here so may take a while to rotate stock.

P.S. That is interesting info on the name, I never knew that. Thanks.

[mozilla]

Chuck, when was TH a HH product? I have a TH10 from Barton in 1990 and thought that Hiram Walker was still around at that time.

[cowdery]

I believe Hiram Walker retained the brand for some time after it closed the plant in Peoria, but contracted with Heaven Hill to produce it. They closed Peoria in 73, so they probably contracted with Heaven Hill in the late 70s, when they started to run out of the Peoria whiskey. I'm not sure when Walker sold the brand, but I think it was always just a contract job at HH, then HW moved the contract to Barton, which eventually bought the brand, and then only a few more years after that, took the Hiram Walker name off the label. They also added their own (i.e., Tom Moore's) founding date of 1879.

[ILLfarmboy]

Be on the look out for Ten High labeled not as "Kentucky Straight Sour Mash Bourbon Whiskey," but as "Bourbon Whiskey - a Blend."

My friend in upstate New York, who discovered this outrage after he got the bottle home, was told by his whiskey monger that the straight has been discontinued.

This sucks.

What sucks is that they can keep the "bourbon" part. I didn't think they could get away with that. I thought that's why Early Times started calling itself a "Kentucky whiskey" when some of the juice in the bottle was replaced with distillate aged in used cooperage.

This Ten High "Bourbon Whiskey - a Blend", does it contain GNS? Surely they can't go that far and still use "bourbon" as part of the name. Right?

[kickert]

Good Questions Brad.

[mozilla]

From what I understand....if they are making the whisky from bourbon and gns...it can be called bourbon blend.

If they are using used cooperage with new distillate...then they can't call it bourbon. And thus, it is just called whisky.

Now, if BF wanted to...they could call their product a bourbon blend, because they use bourbon in the blend. I think they liked the term whisky to blend? Also, I don't think ET has any gns in it?

Sound right, Chuck?

[craigthom]

I believe Hiram Walker retained the brand for some time after it closed the plant in Peoria, but contracted with Heaven Hill to produce it. They closed Peoria in 73, so they probably contracted with Heaven Hill in the late 70s, when they started to run out of the Peoria whiskey. I'm not sure when Walker sold the brand, but I think it was always just a contract job at HH, then HW moved the contract to Barton, which eventually bought the brand, and then only a few more years after that, took the Hiram Walker name off the label. They also added their own (i.e., Tom Moore's) founding date of 1879.

OK, now I'm confused. I've got a bottle of Ten High that says "Distilled by Hiram Walker & Sons, Inc., Peoria, Illinois", but it's a 750ml bottle, which would make it '76 or '77, wouldn't it? So it wasn't actually distilled in Peoria?

Maybe they quit distilling in 1973 but kept bottling what was in the warehouses?

I only bought this thing to have mainstream bourbon not distilled in Kentucky.

[cowdery]

Maybe they quit distilling in 1973 but kept bottling what was in the warehouses?

That is exactly what they did. The distillery closed altogether in 1981. I'm not sure when ADM acquired it and started to make ethanol there.

"Bourbon - a Blend," aka "Blended Bourbon Whiskey" is a recognized category in the federal standards. While a "blended whiskey" must contain 20% straight whiskey on a proof gallon basis, a "Bourbon blend" must contain at least 51% straight bourbon, also on a proof gallon basis. "Proof gallon basis" means it must be at least 51% full proof (i.e., 100 proof) straight whiskey, so if it's then diluted down to 80 proof, the ratio of whiskey to GNS is even more in the whiskey's favor. You can also have blended rye whiskey, same deal.

Although it's not required by the law, most producers use grain spirits that are not, technically, neutral because they have spent a few months in used barrels.

The term "blend" is reserved for those products that combine straight whiskey with an un-aged spirit, either a neutral spirit or un-aged whiskey, or these grain spirits. Early Times really isn't that. Early Times combines straight whiskey with something called "Whiskey distilled from bourbon mash.'' That is a bourbon mash whiskey that has been aged in used, not new, cooperage. Not wanting to get bogged down in all that terminology, Brown-Forman just coined the term "Kentucky Whiskey," which has no legal meaning beyond the legal meaning of "whiskey" and the fact that place-of-origin names have to be truthful. After all, they had pretty good success with "Tennessee Whiskey."

[Buffalo Bill]

Rectified Booze made to look AUTHENTIC.

HELLO?!?

BB

[cowdery]

Since the original message, my correspondent has tasted the stuff. He writes:

I am sorry to have to tell you that the taste is just awful. It gets that (as best as I can describe it ) that high in the nose taste, that a cheap blend has. That is from the gns. I will just have to switch brands. Drink a little too much of that, and you will smell it all day tomorrow. Reminds me of blended Bourbon Supreme. Luckily, Ancient Age, is available.

Please be on the look-out for this stuff. I'm curious to know how widely it's distributed.

[polyamnesia]

well, around here, it's still the real thing....not that i've cared to try, but in the name of an homage-to-the-disappearing-past, is it worth trying the final run of the non-blended version?

[cowdery]

One good thing about control states such as Pennsylvania is that the producer can't just make the switch. Since they're actually changing the product, they have to de-list the original and apply for listing of the new version, which costs money and runs the risk that the new product won't get listed, so one can often find in control states products that aren't sold anywhere else, because the maker is loath to give up the listing.

I have a half-full bottle of the real stuff, and will buy another at my next opportunity. It's not bad, and it is cheap, and I too would like to have a full one against its future disappearance.

Even though Sazerac has done a good job in the cats and dogs business, I thought they were moving away from that. If they really are, then I expect they will do some serious pruning, either by selling brands to someone like Luxco, or just discontinuing them.

Or maybe not. The thing about cats and dogs is you don't spend any money marketing them, so all you need is enough business to justify the incremental cost of making and distributing them. As long as the distributor keeps ordering it, why stop making it?

The problem is that except at the very bottom of the scale, essentially generics, you can't really substitute. If you discontinue, say, Ten High and say, "here, take Ancient Age instead," some people (both trade customers and consumers) will, but plenty of others will switch to Old Crow or JTS Brown, something else on the bottom shelf that's not made by BT.

[whskylvr]

Hello,

I work for a distributor in California and YES all the Ten High is switching from Straight Bourbon to Bourbon Whiskey a blend. This something Constellation did before the sale to Sazerac. Disappointed we sold Ten High to many bars for their well, now they will have to switch to Old Crow.

Dave

[StraightBoston]

Just had Ten High KSBW at a bar Friday night in MA. As I explained to my teammates, if I don't see something on the top shelf that tickles my fancy, I'm just as likely to "call" for the "well" drink. I find Ten High to be very drinkable (I'm not sure I can say the same for Old Crow, though I didn't mind the newest version of Old Taylor) but quite light.

[ThomasH]

I was just at my local liquor store (which really isn't much of one) to get lottery tickets and the Ten High here is still KSB. At 10.65 a 1L, I may have to get a bottle before the blended replacement shows up!

Thomas

[unclebunk]

I believe Hiram Walker retained the brand for some time after it closed the plant in Peoria, but contracted with Heaven Hill to produce it. They closed Peoria in 73, so they probably contracted with Heaven Hill in the late 70s, when they started to run out of the Peoria whiskey. I'm not sure when Walker sold the brand, but I think it was always just a contract job at HH, then HW moved the contract to Barton, which eventually bought the brand, and then only a few more years after that, took the Hiram Walker name off the label. They also added their own (i.e., Tom Moore's) founding date of 1879.

I just found a Hiram Walker's Ten High Ten (86 proof) in a handsome metal cannister for $15 at a local liquor store. It was distilled by Barton in Bardstown and has a number "90" on the bottom of the bottle, so I'm assuming that it was bottled in 1990. Can't wait to taste it actually--I'll spring for a $15 ten year old any day of the week and give her a try. Nice looking bottle too!

[cowdery]

Thomas, Ohio is probably safe since they would have to delist the bourbon and relist the blend, which they will be loath to do.

Unclebunk, I'll be interested in your opinion of the Ten High Ten. It wasn't available for very long and was rather too early to the super premium bourbons game, launching just shortly after Beam's Small Batch Collection. Super premium at $15? It was in 1990.

What can we learn from this change? We can conclude that Barton is allocating its stock of fully-aged whiskey to its most profitable distribution channels. It just can't spare enough 4-year-old bourbon to support Ten High as a 4-year-old bourbon.

They could have saved a lot more bourbon by making it a straight-up blend, but this allows them to keep the word "Bourbon" on the label.

I assume that Ten High, in Barton's overall mix, is high volume, low margin. They probably calculate that a price increase will cost them more business than will a cheapening of the product. Those are the kind of calculations you make.

The fact that they have other channels where they can sell that bourbon more profitably means the bourbon market continues to be healthy, which is overall good for us as straight bourbon enthusiasts.

[ThomasH]

Chuck, if this is the case (and I hope it is), I will probably be on the lookout for a couple of minis of the blended, one for the collection and one to taste!

Thomas

[unclebunk]

Unclebunk, I'll be interested in your opinion of the Ten High Ten. It wasn't available for very long and was rather too early to the super premium bourbons game, launching just shortly after Beam's Small Batch Collection. Super premium at $15? It was in 1990.

.

Well, I had an opportunity to pour a few fingers of the Ten High Ten last night and was really impressed. Chuck, I think you're on to something with your suggestion that THT might very well have been marketed in its day (1990) along the lines of a "super premium," but didn't exist long enough to gain any traction. Judging by the handsome outer packaging, unique bottle shape (tall, rectangular and stylish symmetrical indentations on each side) and elaborate notes on the rear of the bottle, the THT has all the traits of an ahead-of-its-time super premium and the juice inside the bottle confirms that. In fact, I'll go way out on a limb and suggest that, in a blind taste test, the THT would compete favorably with virtually any bourbon currently on the market in the $20-$30 range.

While I hate to make comparisons of this sort, as each bourbon should be appreciated on its own merits, I would liken THT to Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year Old. They are both 10 year old 86 proofers with a similar flavor/aroma, however THT seems slightly more robust all the way around, with a more burnished copper color in the glass, better legs and a bit more body in the mouth. My brother reached the same conclusion without a word from me, if two feeble-minded opinions count for anything. What a nice surprise for a mere $15. I guess it pays to keep an open mind because cost really has little to do with quality bourbon in the overall scheme of things.

[unclebunk]

Here are a few pictures, by the way.

[cowdery]

Word just in: add Massachusetts to the list of states that are getting the new, gag-worthy Ten High.

[MissingKY]

I was in two liquor stores in Florida today, and both had the blend, not the KSBW.

[StraightBoston]

I can unfortunately confirm Chuck's report for Massachusetts...

(Can't believe we're bemoaning the loss of Ten High!)

[sotnsipper]

I can confirm that TN is now getting the blended whiskey. I was in another store today and found the 750 as the straight bourbon whiskey but the liter and the 1.75 are now Kentucky Blended Whiskey. Is it time to grab the Original Straight for safe keeping?? There are only a few bottles left. Grab them or leave them?