DISTILLER of the YEAR

Heaven Hill Distilleries was named “Distiller of the Year” in the recently announced 17th Annual Malt Advocate Whisky Awards.  The nation’s second-largest holder of aging bourbon, Heaven Hill was also named co-recipient of Malt Advocate’s “Best Buy Whiskey of the Year” award for their Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon, which is itself the second largest selling brand of bourbon in the United States and the world.  The Malt Advocate Whiskey Awards “recognizes the best in the world of whisk(e)y” and after 17 years is the longest-running whisky awards program in the country.  The awards are presented by malt advocate.  In awarding Heaven Hill “Distillery of the Year”, John Hansell, malt advocate’s Publisher and Editor, stated that “They just celebrated their 75th anniversary in a big way, by filling their six-millionth barrel of whiskey.  They’ve been pioneers with their Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage series and the Bernheim Original wheat whiskey.  (Master Distiller) Parker Beam’s skills are celebrated with the eponymous and often stupendous Parker’s Heritage Collection . . . they have been at the spearhead of the rye resurgence, maintaining availability of their value brands (Rittenhouse and Pikesville) and also rolling out an amazing trio of ultra-aged ryes.  Heaven Hill takes whiskey seriously.  They deserve nothing less.”