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Today, I ran across a Hirsch Selection 21 YO Rye at 'my' liquor store. It is priced at $129 and is touted as a KY Rye but is marketed by some Calif company that does not encourgage me to spend money. It says on the bottle that it was distilled in 1983. Something of my suspicious nature says all is not well here. I have seen, and purchased a 'Hirsch Selection Canadian Rye' before and considering that Canadian is 'softer' than American whiskey, it is not an inferior product. Still..........

Anyone know anything about this?

It's from that same "Cream of Kentucky" stock that KBD is bottling for people. The "California Company" is Priess Imports, which bought the remaining A. H. Hirsch whiskey and rights to the name from the Hue family.

cowdery wrote:It's from that same "Cream of Kentucky" stock that KBD is bottling for people. The "California Company" is Priess Imports, which bought the remaining A. H. Hirsch whiskey and rights to the name from the Hue family.

Does this mean that it is from an original Hirsch distilled batch of rye? My experience with 'real' Hirsch is on toward the incredible side of the scale.

There is no such thing as "an original Hirsch distilled batch of rye." The "original" Hirsch was/is bourbon made at the Pennsylvania distillery known as Michter's, among other names, and sold under the name A. H. Hirsch Bourbon.

What I called the "same 'Cream of Kentucky' stock that KBD is bottling for people" is straight rye whiskey made at the old Bernheim distillery in Louisville, intended for the Cream of Kentucky brand, which Julian Van Winkle bottled as Van Winkle Family Reserve rye when it was in the 12- to 17-year-old range. KBD has some of that same stock which, after 21 years, they bottled for various people under various names, including for Priess as Hirsch. In other words, there is no real connection between the Hirsch bourbon and this rye except that the producer, i.e., Priess Imports, felt it was fine enough to wear the Hirsch name.

cowdery wrote:There is no such thing as "an original Hirsch distilled batch of rye" The "original" Hirsch was/is bourbon made at the Pennsylvania distillery known as Michter's, among other names. What I called the "same 'Cream of Kentucky' stock that KBD is bottling for people" is straight rye whiskey made at the old Bernheim distillery, intended for the Cream of Kentucky brand, which Julian Van Winkle bottled as Van Winkle Family Reserve rye when it was in the 12 to 17-year-old range. KBD also has some which, after 21 years, it bottled for various people under various names, including for Priess as Hirsch. In other words, there is no real connection between the Hirsch bourbon and this rye except the producer, i.e., Priess Imports, felt it was fine enough to wear the Hirsch name.

Becomes a +- $130 question then don't it? Life is stuffed full of quandaries ain't she? I got some 18 YO Black Maple Hills Rye which is fine stuff to me, I doubt this would beat it. I think I will let it lay where it is.

There's a good chance the BMH is the same whiskey at 18-years-old.

To digress, I was talking to a couple of Brown-Forman guys at WhiskeyFest and they told me two interesting things. First, they're still making Heaven Hill's ryes for them at Shively. Second, they make all the rye they need in one day a year.

When the Rittenhouse 21 came out, Larry Kass commented that for years Heaven Hill was one of the few distillers making rye and they made it about one day a year. What surprised me is that, despite the supposed rebirth of rye, they're still making it one day a year.

cowdery wrote:There's a good chance the BMH is the same whiskey at 18-years-old.

To digress, I was talking to a couple of Brown-Forman guys at WhiskeyFest and they told me two interesting things. First, they're still making Heaven Hill's ryes for them at Shively. Second, they make all the rye they need in one day a year.

When the Rittenhouse 21 came out, Larry Kass commented that for years Heaven Hill was one of the few distillers making rye and they made it about one day a year. What surprised me is that, despite the supposed rebirth of rye, they're still making it one day a year.

So much for the comeback of rye.............but, by God, it is a wonderful spirit and those of us who know it.........well, we know it!