mellow corn expanding is distribution area?

[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.

[p_elliott]

HH in general and Larry specifically has been very kind and generous to SB.com events. So lets please watch where we step here, Thank You. Just my 2 cents I don't represent SB.com.

[dohidied]

Well, I guess I'm going to have to drive to Oregon.

[White Dog]

HH in general and Larry specifically has been very kind and generous to SB.com events. So lets please watch where we step here, Thank You. Just my 2 cents I don't represent SB.com.

Sorry, Paul. I just want the full truth from distilleries, but I never get it.

[HHBOURBONMAN]

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!

Ethan, thanks for this. I'd like to tell you there is a firm strategic distribution plan in place, but for a brand like Mellow Corn, distribution is driven mostly by history, a bit by opportunism, and a bit by "trends". I'd like to tell you it's a high priority with our distributors and sales force, but...and in control states, there are many other forces at play. Certainly it is not a supply issue (a la Rittenhouse BIB), nor concerns about it not selling, more just the vagaries of our 3 tier system. I will personally ask about MD though, and pm you if I find out anything. Thanks for the nice comments about the brand, I'll tell Parker about it while I'm with him in NY for the show Tuesday!

[HHBOURBONMAN]

Sorry, Paul. I just want the full truth from distilleries, but I never get it.

Paul, thanks for your comment it is appreciated and glad to help where and when I can.

White Dog, I assure you I am not conveniently leaving out anything or not giving full truth, no grassy knoll here that I am hiding Mellow Corn behind:)! My initial intent here was hooking up Tiena, who works for me and wouldn't see what is written here, with Fitzharry, who wasn't getting the info he needed. I pulled a shipment report and gave it to Tiena to pass on, on Friday afternoon. I noted that you had mentioned WI and that I was not getting it on the shipment report, I'm not sure why that is still but couldn't get it answered before I had to leave on Friday. I'll ask Monday, maybe such small special orders are not captured, maybe it came through another distributor, maybe parallel shipped (though I doubt the last two), but I will ask. No intention to withhold truth, I can assure you. And besides, really, why would I risk my stellar reputation on Mellow Corn:)?!?

[ethangsmith]

Ethan, thanks for this. I'd like to tell you there is a firm strategic distribution plan in place, but for a brand like Mellow Corn, distribution is driven mostly by history, a bit by opportunism, and a bit by "trends". I'd like to tell you it's a high priority with our distributors and sales force, but...and in control states, there are many other forces at play. Certainly it is not a supply issue (a la Rittenhouse BIB), nor concerns about it not selling, more just the vagaries of our 3 tier system. I will personally ask about MD though, and pm you if I find out anything. Thanks for the nice comments about the brand, I'll tell Parker about it while I'm with him in NY for the show Tuesday!

Thanks for the reply. I had contacted Stan, owner of Midway Liquors of Joppa,MD a little while ago about getting Mellow Corn through his store. He said he would check on it as well, but said he didn't think he could get it since the distributors in MD didn't have it. I had also talked to a friend of mine in the PLCB in PA about getting it and he said the same thing- no distributors carried it. I completely understand the whole controlled distribution idea. Protecting your profits is important and making sure you're in stong markets is what any good business should do. Hopefully we can get at least some bottles in MD or PA. Keep me posted on what happens!

[ethangsmith]

Even if it comes to PA as an SLO (Special Liquor Order) item and I've got to order it by the case, I would still be good for a case every few months!

[fitzharry]

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.

Larry:

Sorry for my late reply.

As you stated, Ms. Haag certainly did get back in touch with me with further explanation. She has been extremely helpful, and I have greater respect for Heaven Hill than I did before because of her assistance. I am a confirmed Heaven Hill customer, even though we can't get the elusive Mellow Corn in Texas...yet.

Please take this as my formal request to bring Mellow Corn to Texas. Thanks again for your help with this issue.

[tmckenzie]

Larry, why we have you on the line, could you tell us where all dixie dew is available? I have only ever seen it in the Alabama abc stores. It just got like a 97 in Jim Murrays new whiskey bible. 4 points higher than our corn.

[HHBOURBONMAN]

Larry, why we have you on the line, could you tell us where all dixie dew is available? I have only ever seen it in the Alabama abc stores. It just got like a 97 in Jim Murrays new whiskey bible. 4 points higher than our corn.

Only Alabama...and not a lot there, either. Every year we have one of these that Jim Murray goes off on, not that I am complaining, in the past it has been Daniel Stewart and Virgin Bourbon!

Also, we had a meeting last week and one of the topics was expansion of Mellow Corn. It is happening, not sure what markets yet and when but our sales group will be talking about this internally first.

[ethangsmith]

Only Alabama...and not a lot there, either. Every year we have one of these that Jim Murray goes off on, not that I am complaining, in the past it has been Daniel Stewart and Virgin Bourbon!

Also, we had a meeting last week and one of the topics was expansion of Mellow Corn. It is happening, not sure what markets yet and when but our sales group will be talking about this internally first.

[dohidied]

I bet bartenders in San Francisco would love to buy cases and cases of it for cocktails.

[cowdery]

To me, the point of Mellow Corn is the aging. Micro-distillers are missing a bet not doing an aged corn whiskey. It's a lot cheaper than bourbon because you use used barrels. I don't know if all MC is BIB, but what I have is, which means it's aged at least 4 years.

[tmckenzie]

There may be some corn coming along from aged barrels. You never know. Chuck, how many micros do you know of that actually make a true corn whiskey. White, not a white whiskey.

[HRay]

I see that Mellow Corn is available in Georgia (it's on the list) and after what I have read here about Mellow Corn, I am intrigued anough to go downtown and get a bottle tomorrow. I've seem it on the shelves and didn't know Heaven Hill made it. Do they make Georgia Moon as well?

Ray in Atlanta

[Brisko]

Yes, they make Georgia Moon (it is un-aged or at least, very young). Pretty much any corn whiskey that isn't from a micro is HH make. They do a good job with it.

[cowdery]

There may be some corn coming along from aged barrels. You never know. Chuck, how many micros do you know of that actually make a true corn whiskey. White, not a white whiskey.

[Leopold]

They are indeed mostly Potemkins. What's happening is that excited entrepreneurs decided that they want to make whiskey. In their research, they discover bulk whiskey.... and their notion of making whiskey goes away because actually making it looks too hard.

And this would be fine, except we're getting robbed of new whiskey distilleries, and all the creativity that would come out of them figuring out how to do it. And that's a damn shame, if you ask me. What if Stone Brewing and Firestone Walker and breweries like them never happened because they chose to become contract brewers instead?

BTW, Mr. Cowdery... in case you were concerned about our shop:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150375725091236&set=a.107922511235.94767.36625626235&type=1&theater

[tmckenzie]

yep, potemkins. I was recently contacted by a broker who wanted bulk corn with lots of heads and tails in it, so that it could be sold bulk and blended with gns so people could start mircodistilling. Wow.

[Parkersback]

There may be some corn coming along from aged barrels. You never know. Chuck, how many micros do you know of that actually make a true corn whiskey. White, not a white whiskey.

Is that a hint? :yum: