for great product…I was blessed with an amazing team of people surrounding me and each and everyone had a piece of creating the history.” Beyond that, Cowdery also credits the mystique of A.H. Hirsch in part to the nascent days of the internet enthusiast community. “It really became a phenomenon almost exclusively through the community, not through any marketing,” he says. “I think that’s one of the interesting things about it.” With the enthusiast community clamoring for it, soaring growth for A.H. Hirsch ensued. “From the time we started selling Hirsch it just grew and grew in interest and intensity,” said Preiss. “It was truly a dream brand.” That type of word of mouth popularity and snowballing effect can’t be controlled. “You don’t create brands like this, they evolve in a viral fashion and need to be managed,” said Preiss. “As always the right timing is essential.” As for the rebottling into the decanter, Preiss decided he wanted to do something special with the last bit of inventory which he had available. “It was an idea I had for the small remaining inventory I had bottled in European 700ml [bottles],” he said. “I decided I didn’t want to ship the last inventory to Europe and with some begging Buffalo Trace finally agreed to dump these bottles. We then shipped it all to Willett where they bottled the hand-blown bottles I imported from France… It was my last vision and hurrah for the slice of American history A.H. Hirsch Reserve occupied.” As a side note, also interesting is the involvement of the Van Winkles with A.H. Hirsch Reserve, predating the even more high-profile and long-lasting fervor which still persists around the Pappy portfolio. “Julian and his partners at Sazerac rightfully own their frenzy but we set the standard for what American whiskey is worth,” said Preiss. “And that will remain iconic because it was the first bourbon valued this way.” image via Sycamore Hills Distillery Tasting A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16 Year Old In his book, Cowdery calls the bourbon one of the “best whiskeys I’ve ever tasted.” Does he hold firm to that opinion today? “I do, I do,” he said. “I just think it was a really good whiskey, it was bottled at the right time. It was taken care of properly, it was handled properly. I think that’s probably something that Julian [Van Winkle] does deserve some credit for.” Surely, no myth or legend or circumstance could make a whiskey such a hot commodity unless it was something special to taste. So let’s go a step further to see what it does actually taste like, and whether there’s any way for it to live up to that kind of hype and price. Living in the Washington, D.C. area, I know that if I ever need to track down a whiskey, Jack Rose Dining Saloon is the place to visit. They have 2,400 bottles in their ever-expanding lineup of whiskeys, and sure enough they did have A.H. Hirsch. In fact, they had both the blue wax and the gold foil bottlings. The former was being sold for $125 for a 1 oz. pour, and $250 for 2 oz., while the latter was going for $63 for a 1 oz. pour and $126 for 2 oz. Cowdery’s focus is on the gold foil 2003 bottling, saying in his book, “it is A.H. Hirsch Reserve to most people,” so that’s what I set out to try. The bottle was removed from a locked case of premium offerings which Jack Rose has on display behind its main bar. A dram was carefully measured and poured, left on the bar in front of me to open up in the air for a moment. Leaning in to explore the bourbon, the nose revealed rich sweetness, with vanilla and caramel, along with oak and spice. The , before revealing rich toffee and more vanilla towards the back
opened softer than anticipated given that sweet nose, before revealing rich toffee and more vanilla towards the back palate. A moderate finish had no burn and continued to build, with dry oak, char, baking spices and black pepper. It’s smooth and easy, but also complex and layered. Certainly an “A” grade bourbon. Is it one of the best whiskeys I’ve ever had? Well… no. It wasn’t even the best bourbon I had that week, having been exceedingly impressed after sampling the new Knob Creek 2001 Limited Edition a few days prior. In a blind tasting of A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16, without knowing the story, the background and the price tag, you wouldn’t guess it’s prestige. But that story and background add to the pleasure of trying a rare dram such as this, turning the process not merely into a tasting, but an entire experience. In a way, Cowdery’s telling of the tale both adds to the bourbon’s mystique while also informing on it. “I think the thing about the legend if you want to call it that, the story, the history, the fact that somebody wrote a book about it, I think it adds to the enjoyment,” said Cowdery. “It obviously doesn’t change what it tastes like. It just gives you something else to appreciate it, and certainly that’s part of the experience.”
