Nov. 21, 2024

Larceny Barrel Proof!

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History of distillery
John E Fitzgerald
- Worked as a treasury agent guarding the bonded warehouses
- With access to great bottles, he would sneak in at night and steal sips of whiskey from the barrels.
- When it came time to bottle, some barrels were lighter than others and some thought them to be good barrels
  - These became known as fitzgerald barrels, and later bottled and sold as old fitzgerald bottled in bond
Truth in story
- It is said that fitz had a private still that he sold only to select people
  - In a later biography we learn he never distilled himself, but his work as a treasury agent has been proved
Heaven hill
- Heaven hill acquired old fitz in 1999
- They released larceny in 2012
  - Named after the act that made John Fitzgerald famous
History of heaven hill Distillery
- 1934-The 5 Shapira Brothers were approached by Joseph L Beam and other investors to start a distillery
  - Joseph Beam was the first master distiller, and all master distillers since have been members of the beam family
- 12/13/1935, first barrels began to be filled, Bourbon Falls is the first brand
- 1996, Massive fire destroys the still and 90,000 barrels. At one time the creek that supplied the water was on fire for 2 miles
- Until 1999 brown-forman and jim beam let them use their facilities
- In 1999 heaven hill purchased the Bernheim distillery and could start production again
The name heaven hill
- Named after the former owner of the distillery site, William Heavenhill
  - Legend is he was born in 1783 under a waterfall during an indian attack
The bottle
- 6 years old
- 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley