Very Rare Old Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond 10yr

[mozilla]

Mozilla...good point. What's the TTB?

While HH certainly has a stable of decently priced good whiskey (I sure think its good whew!) Most of those labels are older less flashy ones: Bonded labels or antiqueish ones (Old Fitz, Henry McKenna, JW Dant and the like).

With the current market trends toward small batch, single barrel or premium seeming products it would seem to me to be a smart business decision to pull labels like this one. Meaning not so much that they make higher priced labels that older whiskey should go towards but instead market trends condition where the whiskey is going to end up...in the more premiumish, small batch, single barrel type products (although the only single Barrels they make that I know of are McKenna and Elijah 18 and Evan Williams)

But then again maybe I'm talking outta my butt and there are many others here (like yourself) with much more knowledge than I have on stuff like this...I just wish this stuff was still available because it would be an incredible bargain.

I don't really buy into the "Small Batch" or "Single Barrel" group of enthusiasts. These are just ways that the distillers try to pry more money out of your pocket. IMO, the best bourbons are batched. Batching gives one a complete taste of the pie...instead of just one slice that could contain alot....or not many flavors that you would expect.

Small batch...actually has no meaning or regulation to keep it honest. FYI: When Barton batches bourbon...it is in less than 80 barrels. When WT batches their regular Bird...it is in 5000 barrel batches. Beams SB is around 250 barrels, IIRC.

Single barrel gives the distiller a chance to put whatever he wants in a bottle. If it's bad or off....oh well, tough break for the purchaser.

Why does it matter if a label is old or new? Flashy or not? All I really care about is the flavor to price ratio. If they(HH) put VROHH in a label that was turd brown...I wouldn't care. Just keep the price affordible and I am all over it.

Don't fall into the trap of paying more money for the same juice. All distillers make a consistent product...to the best of their ability. Most only make one type of juice. So, why pay alot more for juice that has a fancy bottle or label. Take BT for example: Why pay for Blanton's SB when you can get an older less expensive bottle of AAA 10yr? Because it's a single barrel? They both come from the same juice. So, why is Blantons above $40 and the AAA around $15? Don't be a sucker! OR...a follower of marketing propaganda.

[squire]

Jeff, I don't have access to Heaven Hill's sales figures so can't say as to which brands are more profitable. Considering the demand for aged product from the new producers it is plausible that Heaven Hill makes more money in bulk sales than if they bottled it themselves.

[mozilla]

While that may be true...

I seriously doubt that any two years are ever the same across the board for sales or accounts receivable. They do a ton of bulk and bottling for their accounts. (Aside) HH really does a great job with their warehousing and bottling. It will blow your mind to see the bottling house. It is a marvel.

HH has a million labels. They will bottle a label when an order comes in for it. Most of these labels are only sold in select markets and are very hit and miss to begin with.

Without seeing their production numbers for each label and knowing their attitude towards their huge collection of labels...it is really hard to comment accurately on how they forsee the future of their brands.

I can't think of too many reasons...a distiller would completely pull one of their own labels. Cost for keeping it alive in the market being the biggest cost factor, against it.

[squire]

The whole place is impressive but I haven't toured it since before the visitor center was built.

[G-Rat]

I can't think of too many reasons...a distiller would completely pull one of their own labels. Cost for keeping it alive in the market being the biggest cost factor, against it.

[scratchline]

One thing you can be sure of is that HH doesn't make EC12 by mixing 10 year bond with some older stuff. The youngest whiskey in EC is at least 12 years old.

-Mike

[cowdery]

In some of their core markets, like Kentucky and Tennessee, but also the Carolinas and other parts of the South, Heaven Hill has always done big business with the Heaven Hill label. They offer a lot of different expressions and not just in bourbons. They have blends, and even white goods like gin and vodka, that they sell under the HH brand name. Whatever it is, it's always a great value.

Some of these products are actually owned by distributors, which is too complicated to explain here.

But whether it was a distributor or HH itself that pulled the plug on the 10-year-old BIB, the reason is the same. Well-aged KSBW is too valuable right now to sell it that cheap. The product's appeal was its great value so if they raised the price it would lose its primary appeal, so better just to discontinue it.

It's unrelated to the fire. Any supply problems the fire may have caused cleared the pipeline years ago.

There's no more to it than that.

[G-Rat]

Chuck thanks for clearing that up.

Mike - Right. Duh. Knew when i typed that that something was wrong but just kept typing.

Sorry to any and all or just Mozilla maybe for beating a dead horse. At least it felt that way.

G

[mozilla]

No need to be sorry. We are here to discuss bourbon and bourbon accessories. That's why this site is called Straight Bourbon.....and NOT, Straight Off Topic.

[boone]

Without seeing their production numbers for each label and knowing their attitude towards their huge collection of labels...it is really hard to comment accurately on how they forsee the future of their brands.

I can't think of too many reasons...a distiller would completely pull one of their own labels. Cost for keeping it alive in the market being the biggest cost factor, against it.

#1 Reason why it's not there....Demand for the product has deminished. I can remember years ago bottling this product in 1.75 handle bottles....that was years ago. Someone was ordering it quite regular back then. Slowly, the numbers went down and the size of the orders bottle/numbers went with it.

[mozilla]

Bettye Jo,

Is there something we can do as a group that would help keep some of our favorite "odd" labels alive at HH?

The two I would like to see kept alive are:

Very Rare Old HH 10yr Bib and Dowling Deluxe 8yr Bib\

Texas only gets one HH Bib and that is Old Fitz. Sure is tough being a fan of HH when almost none of their Bib's make it here.

[squire]

We are fortunate in getting a full line of Heaven Hill products in Mississippi.

[wku88]

I don't buy that explaination, Boone. I've preached to the rafters on numerous occasions on this very forum that VROHH BiB is really EWSB '95 for half the price...and it seems those that actually tried it agree with me it is an exceptional whiskey regardless of price. As noted by several in this thread, it was a dusty, but once folks found it, it went quick. I know I'd buy it by the case now, as I had in the recent past. It may not sell as much as the God awful green label, but I bet they could bring it back and charge $15 a 750, and it'd sell like icewater in the desert.

[mozilla]

I don't buy that explaination, Boone. I've preached to the rafters on numerous occasions on this very forum that VROHH BiB is really EWSB '95 for half the price...and it seems those that actually tried it agree with me it is an exceptional whiskey regardless of price. As noted by several in this thread, it was a dusty, but once folks found it, it went quick. I know I'd buy it by the case now, as I had in the recent past. It may not sell as much as the God awful green label, but I bet they could bring it back and charge $15 a 750, and it'd sell like icewater in the desert.