Where to start? This company has really snuck up on consumers with a very unique concept of pairing Art, Music and Alcohol into one beautifully rounded out subject. That subject is Bourbon. Now we have touched upon this product in many of our reviews and there is a common theme and that is that this distillery has some really great products. In partnership with Bob Dylan and his art, they have made every product very unique. Each bottle has a piece of artwork from Bob Dylan who took up art in his post musical career and developed unique and very original iron work and paintings. These pieces of art can be displayed on each of the bottles of Heavens Door carefully crafted spirits.
A little history behind the brand and how it began. “Heaven’s Door is the fruition of two well-known mavens in the whiskey industry: Marc Bushala, former founder of Angel’s Envy Bourbon and current founder of Spirits Investment Partners (SIP), and Ryan Perry, a whiskey developer at Diageo. After finding out Dylan had trademarked the term “bootleg whiskey,” the pair approached him to collaborate with them on a new line of American whiskeys. Three years later, in 2018, Dylan signed on — becoming a co-creator of the brand.” – Vinepair.com. So being widely recognized and somewhat misleading is that Bob Dylan is not the founder of the Heavens Door but Ryan Perry and Marc Bushala from the very well reputable brand of Angels Envy.
Heavens Doors bootleg whiskey in turn has become a very popular bourbon and for good reason but with that comes a high price as well. These bootleg whiskeys are limited-edition bottles of the brand’s Bootleg Series and are very mature, with various bottles aged for 13, 15 and even 26 years before their actual release. Specifically the Bootleg Volume IV has a going rate of $499.00. In case you didn’t know also, Bob Dylan is one of the only Nobel prize winners amongst celebrities to be associated with a beverage brand. He won the Nobel Prize in 2016 and the only other person to do the same was Winston Churchill who won it in 1953.
The bourbon line itself comprises a standard lineup: Straight Rye Whiskey, Double Barrel Whiskey and Tennessee Straight Bourbon along with a special edition of its 10-year-old Tennessee bourbon. The bourbons are sourced from many different producers in the midwest. Heavens Door has received more than 35 awards, including a Double Gold Medal at the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. One of the most unique of them all is the “Double Barrel Whiskey” which was named “Whiskey of the Year” and another for “Spirit of the Year” at the London Spirit’s Competition.
A few years ago Heavens Door finally opened a floor distillery in Nashville, TN. The company has acquired the 160-year-old, de-sanctified Elm Street Church, which will become Heaven’s Door Distillery and Center for the Arts. This happened in 2020 in celebration of Bob Dylan’s 50th anniversary of his album Nashville Skyline. It has tours, tastings, a whiskey library, restaurants and also showcases Bob Dylan’s works of arts that inspire the bottles that we see today.
If you are a fan of Heaven’s Door check out our review of their Cask Strength Offering and Straight Bourbon Offering here. This brand has us in ‘heaven’ as well as ‘knocking on the door’ to try some more!
Photo Credit: Rollingstone.com
Rock n roll BABY!