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

[kickert]

Here in the motherland it is already switched to the blend as well. Saw it tonight at the Kroger's Spirit Shoppe.

[spun_cookie]

Tucson has both ... the non blends are dusties down here

[smokinjoe]

I would only say, that if we are still finding WT12's today...then you'll still be able to find Ten High Bourbons well into the 2030's.

Then again, if you really like it, and it's your "go to"...then start hoarding.

[spun_cookie]

I would only say, that if we are still finding WT12's today...then you'll still be able to find Ten High Bourbons well into the 2030's.

Then again, if you really like it, and it's your "go to"...then start hoarding.

There will be Ten High and Cockroches left in DC after the world is destroyed....

[htomczak]

Well just picked up 2 1.75's in Pennsylvania and as Chuck said it is still the KSBW. And there was plenty on the shelf. The funny part is I've never had it before but figured I'd give it a shot just in case it does change. Haven't checked the Jersey shelves yet.

[funknik]

I see only KSBW on the shelves up here in Maine, but this stuff is $9.50 a 750....besides the principle, does it really matter if we lose this one? I've never had it, I might buy one for posterity before it all switches, but then I think....why?

[cowdery]

The owner of the whiskey has decided that its best and highest use is not as Ten High straight bourbon. That's a shame because it's an old brand and was a good value, so that's a loss. But it's happening because bourbon is so strong right now, which is good. So it's mixed.

[funknik]

The owner of the whiskey has decided that its best and highest use is not as Ten High straight bourbon. That's a shame because it's an old brand and was a good value, so that's a loss. But it's happening because bourbon is so strong right now, which is good. So it's mixed.

Right! Hopefully the distilleries are distilling the hell out of stuff now so that in 10 years we can either save some of those brands (or re-introduce them at a higher price as is the current trend :hot: ) or have a cavalcade of the stuff and we'll never have to worry about finding good bourbon again.

A fella can dream.....:bis:

Let me take it another way...hopefully there's no chance that someday the state of bourbon quality will be so awful that we will all be gushing about how wonderful those 10 High KSBWs from 2008 are.

[cowdery]

Good bourbon isn't going away, it's just getting more expensive.

For example, Van Winkle Lot B, $39.99 at Binny's in December, now $44.99.

I blame myself.

But Binny's does still have Ten High KSBW, $8.99/750ml.

[jburlowski]

The blend is now on the shelves at The Party Source. I had to check carefully to see the difference on the label --- and I was looking for it! The average consumer doesn't have a chance

I asked one of the employees why it was stocked with the straight whiskey and not with the blends. He wasn't aware of the change until I pointed it out.

[craigthom]

I've got questions about this old bottle of Ten High I found.

It's got a tax strip, or at least I think it does. It's very faded and hard to read, but I think it's a real one.

The bottle is 750ml.

It says "Distilled by Hiram Walker & Sons, Peoria, Illinois".

It claims to be Straight Bourbon Whiskey, not KSBW.

The catch is that the bottle has an 82 on the bottom.

If it was indeed bottled in 1982, I see two possibilities:

1. The whiskey was distilled at Heaven Hill.

2. It's pretty old stock actually distilled in Peoria.

It doesn't claim to be actually distilled IN Peoria, but it doesn't claim to be KSBW, which you'd think they would do as a selling point.

I guess we'll have to open it to find out. Maybe I should bring it to the Sampler if I get a chance to go.

[Josh]

I've got questions about this old bottle of Ten High I found.

It's got a tax strip, or at least I think it does. It's very faded and hard to read, but I think it's a real one.

The bottle is 750ml.

It says "Distilled by Hiram Walker & Sons, Peoria, Illinois".

It claims to be Straight Bourbon Whiskey, not KSBW.

The catch is that the bottle has an 82 on the bottom.

If it was indeed bottled in 1982, I see two possibilities:

1. The whiskey was distilled at Heaven Hill.

2. It's pretty old stock actually distilled in Peoria.

What about the date makes you think it was distilled by HH? It's currently made at the Tom Moore/Barton distillery in Bardstown. It seems pretty that it was distilled in Peoria given the lack of "Kentucky" on the bottle and the fact that Peoria is listed on the label.

[callmeox]

IIRC, the juice can be distilled anywhere in the US and be labeled as KSBW as long as it ages at least one year in a warehouse in Kentucky.

[craigthom]

What about the date makes you think it was distilled by HH? It's currently made at the Tom Moore/Barton distillery in Bardstown. It seems pretty that it was distilled in Peoria given the lack of "Kentucky" on the bottle and the fact that Peoria is listed on the label.

According to what I've read on this site Heaven Hill had the contract for distilling the Hiram Walker stuff after the Peoria distillery closed and before the labels were sold to Barton.

There are bottles of ER101 out there that say "New Orleans" on the label, but the bourbon wasn't distilled there. All sorts of shenanigans go on with company names and cities on labels. I'm not sure if "Distilled by Hiram Walker & Sons, Peoria, Illinois" actually means the distilling happened there.

The label does not say KSBW, but that doesn't mean that it isn't. Maybe they wanted to maintain the illusion that it was still made in Peoria. Or maybe it actually was.

[cowdery]

My guess would be that as long as Hiram Walker owned the brand, or possibly the brand and the plant, the label stayed the same as it was in Peoria. After Barton took over, they decided "Kentucky" would be a good thing to have on the label.

Remember, people then didn't know how long the bourbon crash would last. Some thought it might turn around quickly and go back to its former levels. Consistent with the above, perhaps Walker closed Peoria but didn't sell it, with the expectation that if bourbon did rebound, they could reopen. Eventually Hiram Walker itself was sold, and parts such as the distillery and the Ten High brand were sold off. Even if bourbon did rebound, Barton wasn't moving Ten High back to Peoria, so it became moot.

Just a theory.

[Josh]

My guess would be that as long as Hiram Walker owned the brand, or possibly the brand and the plant, the label stayed the same as it was in Peoria. After Barton took over, they decided "Kentucky" would be a good thing to have on the label.

Remember, people then didn't know how long the bourbon crash would last. Some thought it might turn around quickly and go back to its former levels. Consistent with the above, perhaps Walker closed Peoria but didn't sell it, with the expectation that if bourbon did rebound, they could reopen. Eventually Hiram Walker itself was sold, and parts such as the distillery and the Ten High brand were sold off. Even if bourbon did rebound, Barton wasn't moving Ten High back to Peoria, so it became moot.

Just a theory.

Makes a lot of sense.

[Jono]

The local grocer...Meijer...has plenty of 10 High - unblended - selling for about $10-11. I have never had it...it looked by color fairly light...I still think I will pass on it.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1870&highlight=Ten+High

[barturtle]

Ten High - Bourbon a blend is on the shelves in KY now

[cowdery]

Interesting that it's still a bourbon in Illinios. I wonder if Illinois is a partcularly good market for the brand, due to the fact that until 30 years ago it was made here. It's also possible that the Illinois distributor just has a lot of the bourbon so the blend hasn't rolled out yet. I got a bottle for the bunker and maybe if it's still a bourbon the next time I'm in a liquor store, I'll buy another.

[JeffRenner]

The local grocer...Meijer...has plenty of 10 High - unblended - selling for about $10-11

I picked up a bottle (straight bourbon) at our local Meijer for $7.22, the state minimum. Lots on the shelf.

It's not bad for a mixer or cooking bourbon, but a little rough for drinking straight/on the rocks/with a splash.

Jeff

[sotnsipper]

I have been keeping an eye on Ten High since this thread was posted. I have watched it all turn to the blend in a few short weeks. All I see now is the blend.

[htomczak]

I have been keeping an eye on Ten High since this thread was posted. I have watched it all turn to the blend in a few short weeks. All I see now is the blend.

Still the bourbon in PA - NJ and DE all switched to the blend. Had never had this until this thread started. I actually kinda like it! Not premium bourbon for sure but very drinkable - and has a nice kick.

[Waiahi]

I have been keeping an eye on Ten High since this thread was posted. I have watched it all turn to the blend in a few short weeks. All I see now is the blend.

Same here in Hawaii. Two days ago is the first time I saw the blend at my local grocery store. Funny, I've never even tried TH the KSBW, yet thanks to this forum and Chuck's blog, I find myself looking at the Ten High label every time I go to the liquor/grocery store... :slappin:

[cowdery]

One interesting point about these reports is it shows how well Ten High is still distributed. It's a shame the brand's owners couldn't build on that and decided to milk it instead.

The next thing to watch for: does the Ten High blend start showing up on close-outs? That will tell us that retailers initially ordered in as much of the blend as they had the bourbon, but consumers stopped buying it. Ditto if it starts to disappear from stores that had been carrying it.

[Waiahi]

Chuck, do you think you could tell the difference in a blind taste test between TH the blend and TH the Bourbon? Is it drastically different? Do you think a regular TH Bourbon drinker could be fooled if he weren't paying attention to the label?