Heaven Hill Distillery is rolling out a new barrel-strength edition of its Larceny bourbon to appease those who don’t have thousands of dollars to drop on ultra-rare Pappy Van Winkle.
Because of Larceny’s affordability and smooth flavor profile, the cult bourbon brand is affectionately known among whiskey lovers as the poor man’s Pappy, Gear Patrol reports. And Larceny’s new Barrel Proof offers sippers the chance to taste a high-octane version straight out of the cask.
While the exact alcohol by volume hasn’t been announced, it’ll be presented in a pinched-waist, flask-shaped bottle labeled with Larceny’s signature skeleton key logo and the autograph of John E. Fitzgerald, an interesting historical character and bourbon lover who inspired the brand.
As a treasury agent in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, [Fitzgerald] was one of the only people legally allowed to carry the keys to the barrel storage rickhouses.
With a discerning palate for fine Bourbon [Fitzgerald] often used his rickhouse keys to gain access to some of the finest bourbon barrels for himself. Those barrels from which he chose to help himself were often referred to as “Fitzgerald barrels” around the distillery.
“The addition of this non-chill filtered, barrel proof offering to the Larceny family allows us to showcase a deeper character, richness and depth of flavor from our wheated Bourbon mashbill,” said Heaven Hill Distillery executive Susan Wahl. “Drawing from its lineage within the Old Fitzgerald family, Larceny Barrel Proof is an opportunity for Bourbon fans to taste a historical ‘wheater’ in its purest form.”
Priced at $49.99 for a fifth, Larceny Barrel Proof bourbon will be an ongoing offering released in January, May and September of next year.
