TASTING NOTE

Nose : Smooth, distinctive. Peanuts and corn are literally fragrant. Behind them, we find curry, cardamom, and a particularly interesting and invigorating hint of varnish. It continues with coffee and mocha.

Palate : Very different from the nose. It has gained in herbaceous and cereal freshness. The humidity it diffuses contrasts sharply with the warmth of the nose. Fruits have made their appearance (apricot, almond). Admittedly, they are dry, but they contribute to the feeling of calm that reigns.

Final : in turn, very different from the mouth, it is remarkably spicy (clove, nutmeg). The vanilla from the new wood stands out clearly. This gives it a lot of smoothness. The retro-olfaction oscillates between notes of apricot and spices. The empty glass chooses cereals.

THE DISTILLERY

Heaven Hill is the largest independent bourbon producer. Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc. was founded in Bardstown, Kentucky, in 1935, shortly after the Shapira family abolished Prohibition. While its early days were tumultuous, Heaven Hill is now the sixth-largest spirits supplier in the United States and the second-largest holder of barrels for aging bourbon in the world, with 1,500,000 barrels. In 2014, Heaven Hill filled its 7,000,000th barrel. Despite its size, the distillery has remained true to its traditions and uses locally grown corn for its production. Over the past three decades, Heaven Hill has built on its foundation as a producer of American whiskeys to become a widely diversified supplier of whiskeys, liqueurs, vodkas, rums, and other spirits. Heaven Hill's portfolio includes Evan Williams, the world's second-bestselling bourbon, as well as dynamic brands such as Elijah Craig, Larceny, Rittenhouse Rye, Mellow Corn, and numerous other brands spanning diverse spirits categories such as vodka, tequila, rum, and brandy. Since 1935, Heaven Hill has maintained its commitment to independence and family ownership, founded on a mission and core values geared toward building for the long term.

THE BRAND

The origins of Kentucky Straight Bourbon can be traced back to the long and colorful history of John E. Fitzgerald and the Old Fitzgerald brand. According to legend, John E. Fitzgerald built a distillery on the banks of the Kentucky River in the 1870s and sold his quality bourbon to railroads, steamboats, and private clubs. The Old Fitzgerald brand was first registered in the 1880s by S.C. Herbst and later sold to Julian P. "Pappy" Van Winkle during Prohibition. Revealed in a family biography of Pappy Van Winkle, John E. Fitzgerald wasn't quite the man he was always portrayed to be. He was actually a Treasury agent—one of the few people legally authorized to carry the keys to the aging warehouses, or rickhouses. Mr. Fitzgerald apparently had a particularly fine palate for Bourbon and used cellar keys to access the finest barrels, which eventually became known within the distillery as "Fitzgerald barrels." Herbst, and later Pappy, immortalized the man with both the keys and the fine taste by christening the brand Old Fitzgerald in 1880. Today, Larceny honors both the superb taste of this lawless treasury agent and the legacy of this historic brand.