Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Heaven Hill Bourbon 100 proof: dangerously good


You know what pisses me off? People who bad mouth something they had a one bad experience with. Heaven Hill get's that rap so much. You say the word Heaven Hill to college kid and you're gonna see eyes roll and maybe even hear a puking sound. Why such a bad reaction? Well, I think I know why.

Is Heaven Hill bourbon so bad? Hell no! But here is the rub. Heaven Hill is cheap. Now think about college kids. Do they have any money? No. So what kind of booze do they buy? Cheap booze. What is cheap? Heaven Hill. So let's paint a picture. A college kid buys a fifth of Heaven Hill. They also buy a fifth of Crown (cuz for some reason college kids like Crown Royal). One costs $9 bux the other $20 something. They sip the Crown, cuz it's expensive. They have a glass, maybe two...sipping the entire time. Now that they've got a good pre-buzz, it is time to crack open the Heaven Hill. Sip it? Hell NO! This shit is cheap. The Heaven Hill flows and flows and flows. Then by night's end, that cheerful collegiate drinkin' champ is huddled over their hairy toilet, surrendering their night's intake. By morning, our champ is nothing but a hung over wreck. Who gets the blame? Heaven Hill. Should it get the blame? No, the drunkard chugging 100 proof booze wrecklessly should. Why don't higher costing spirits get the same shaft? Because it cost so much that no one will drink them wrecklessly.

Heaven Hill is a fine KY bourbon. I guarantee that if you did a blind taste test against other bourbons, it wouldn't come in last. It isn't the best, but it isn't the worst.

Okay. Enough praise. The Heaven Hill in the picture above is the 100 Proof gold label. There are many different kinds of Heaven Hill Bourbon. THe Gold label (100 proof) is dangerous. Why? Because the alcohol hides really well, and if you are drinking it with cola, that proof is going to sneak up on you. Once you are 2 drinks in you're going to feel it, and it is really kind of hard to moderate yourself. Even the most seasoned drinker may whind up on the end of a nasty hang over the next day by drinking 100 proof like an 80 proof beverage.

I'll be honest, I like Heaven Hill bourbons and think that they are a very very good value. I think that Heaven Hill gets a bad rap because of it's price tag, and that isn't fair in my book.

Give Heaven a second or 9th chance. You might find a new drink.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I just bought this one on a trip to Germany. I did not expect much since it was so much cheaper than the bottle of Jim Beam that I also bought. I had a taste when I got home and I was surprised how good it was. You get a lot of bourbon for that price. I kinda like it and I will buy some more on my next trip.