Welcome to the 2023 Spirited Holiday Countdown Calendar!

As we marched into November of 2023, much debate was held whether we do a Holiday Countdown Calendar for 2023, or not. Ultimately, it came down to our core princple of consumer engagement through experiences and we decided to make it happen! The biggest issue was… How do we top last year? Fortunately, as we made our way through the aisles determining what to offer, there were numerous spirits to get excited about this year, once we put it into perspective.

So here we are! It’s December 1st, 2023 and the countdown is on!

Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond

One of the first places I ever visited when traveling to Kentucky was Heaven Hill Distillery. When all of the single barrel bourbon craziness started about ten years ago, there weren’t any single barrel offerings from Heaven Hill in the market, so the visit to Heaven Hill was just that, a visit.

This was back in 2014. The growth in the bourbon industry was just starting to hit the its stride and Heaven Hill was leading the charge. After the fire in 1996 that destroyed a majority of the barrel inventory and all of the distilleries production facilities, Heaven Hill, under the leadership of Max Shapira, revolutionized the way whiskey was made, bottled and stored using a unique method of distilling in a different location (the historic Bernheaim Distillery in Louisville) and transporting the distilled spirit to the bottling and storage facility in Bardstown.

Through the years, Heaven Hill has produced numerous brands of quality bourbon. Elijah Craig, Larceny, Evan Williams and of course Heaven Hill, to name a few. The one elsusive brand that we never saw in our market was Heaven Hill, until 2023 when Bottled-In-Bond was released in the South Dakota market in September 2023, just in time for Bourbon Heritage Month.

Unfortunately it came in as an “allocated item” so there was not much to offer, but we managed to hide a bottle away for this year’s calender. I decided to start this year’s calendar off with this item largely because of the historical impact of Heaven Hill, but also because it’s just that good for a $55 bottle. Originally craft in 1939 and then put on hold until early 2000s, Heaven Hill crafted this whiskey as an homage to the old days, and did a very nice job of doing just that.

• Name: Heaven Hill Bottled-InBond
• Age: 7 Years
• Country of Origin/Locale: Bardstown, KY
• Proof: 100.0
• Glass: Glencairn or Double Old-Fashioned Glass
• Temperature: Room, or with ice. Try it at room first
• Cocktail Options: Makes a great Old Fashioned
• Available: Not at this time, but more coming
• Price: List Price – $69.99 JJ’s VIP Price – $55.99

Tom’s Tasting Notes: It hits the glass with a golden amber color. On the nose we get vanilla, honey, and rich caramel. For 100 proof, it drinks amazingly smooth with spice, caramel and honey notes. The finish is long and memorable with a hug the lasts for days.