Heaven’s Door
by Brian Donnelly
““I wanted to create a collection of American Whiskey that, in their own way, tell a story. I’ve been traveling for decades, and I’ve been able to try some of the best whiskey spirits that the world has to offer. This is great Whiskey.””
Overview
First released in 2018, Heaven's Door is a premium American Whiskey brand produced in partnership with legendary musician Bob Dylan and the Chicago-based venture capital firm Spirits Investment Partnership (SIP).
Who is SIP?
"Spirits Investment Partners creates unique and compelling brands in the beverage alcohol space. We partner with great entrepreneurs to provide capital, strategic resources, and expertise to help grow their businesses and mitigate risk. We invest in companies at various stages of development, from seed financing to Series A and B investments."
History
Ryan Perry, Heaven's Door Master Blender and Co-Founder worked for many years for spirits giant Diageo after graduating from Michigan State during the depth of the financial crisis in 2008. Perry worked in many different roles for Diageo, which allowed him to work directly with Distillers and Master Blenders. While working on the North American Whiskey Sales Team, he met his future business partner Marc Bushala.
Currently, Marc Bushala is the CEO of Heaven's Door Spirits LLC. Marc was a co-founder of Angel's Envy, and at the time, he was the CEO of the brand's parent company, Angel's Share Brands," which was eventually sold to Bacardi in 2015. He still works hand-and-hand with Ryan Perry, who, in addition to working as a Master Blender, is also the President of Spirits Investment Partnership (SIP).
After leaving Diageo, Ryan Perry invested in aged stocks of American Whiskey from different distilleries in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and New York. Over 4.5 years, he built up an extensive collection and decided it was time to get back into the brand business. Ryan connected with Bob Dylan's entertainment attorney in Chicago and learned that Dylan had already registered the name Bootleg Whiskey in 2015. He reached out to see if Dylan would be interested in launching a brand. Perry didn't like the name Bootleg, though, because he didn't want customers to confuse their brand with the moonshine whiskey trend. Bootleg refers to Dylan's rare and unreleased albums, but the brand would find a good use for this name later on. After a long process, the collaboration launches the Heaven's Door brand, named for perhaps Dylan's most famous song, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."
The goal was to craft a unique product for Heaven's Door but slightly different from everything else currently on the market. Ryan was conscious of the perception of a premium celebrity partner brand, so he wanted to make sure that the product could stand on its merit in terms of quality and flavor. Dylan is not involved in the day-to-day running of the brand, but he is very meticulous, creative, and a stickler for details. He adds value to the team by giving feedback behind the scenes.
Each bottle of Heaven's Door features a copy of an iron gate work created and sold by Bob Dylan. He has an ironwork studio outside of Los Angeles called Black Buffalo Ironworks, where he uses reclaimed metal objects from scrap yards across America. The majority of his gates are sold to celebrities for more than $200,000.
““Gates appeal to me because of the negative space they allow. They can be closed, but at the same time, they allow the seasons and breezes to enter and flow. They can shut you out or shut you in. And in some way, there is no difference.””
Heaven’s Door Distillery & Brand Center
The Heaven’s Door brand has new distillery in Pleasureville, Kentucky. Located on over 160 acres of rolling hills astride Six Mile Creek, the picturesque property was once owned by Squire Boone, the brother of legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone. Quietly under development since 2017, the distillery has been producing small batches of exceptional bourbon on its custom Vendome still since 2018. The Heaven’s Door Distillery features two separate stillhouses, each in its own towering western horse barn, a Visitor’s Center with tasting rooms and lounges overlooking the valley and Six Mile Creek, an eighteenth-century grist mill, two eighteenth-century cabins and a Moravian barn, all of which have been painstakingly restored. Heaven’s Door Distillery plans to open its doors to the public in September 2023.
“This is a momentous occasion for Heaven’s Door,” said Marc Bushala, co-founder and CEO of Heaven’s Door Spirits. “We selected this location for its remarkable natural beauty and unique ecosystem that has enabled us to make exceptional bourbon and create an unrivaled visitor experience,” added Bushala. “We are committed to the art of craft whiskey and honor the legacy of the many pioneers who have helped make Kentucky bourbon what it is today. We are thrilled to have Heaven’s Door be part of this storied tradition.”
Ken Pierce, an industry veteran, was brought on as Master Distiller to lead the project from design through distillation. Ken began his illustrious career with Barton Brands Distillery, initially working as Senior Chemist to Director of Distillation and eventually becoming Master Distiller. Ken was instrumental in the development of 1792 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and its limited release expressions.
Heaven’s Door is proud to lead the way in sustainable distilling, utilizing two underground aquifers to access pristine limestone water for its distilling as well as geothermal heating and cooling of the buildings. Through its dedication to sustainable practices, the distillery cultivates its own heirloom grains and recycles protein-rich mash from the fermentation process as feed for cattle on surrounding farms.
The Last Refuge Brand & Visual Arts Center
In addition to its Pleasureville distillery, Heaven’s Door has announced it will open a unique brand experience in a former church in Downtown Louisville. The brand experience will house a small live music venue, a private event space and a restaurant and bar featuring one of the largest selections of American whiskeys in the country.
The Heaven’s Door brand center includes plans to construct a new 15,000 square foot immersive art experience adjacent to the church which will feature a collection of Bob Dylan’s critically acclaimed paintings and metalworks, as well as curated exhibitions of other artists.
The Company had previously announced that it intended to open a showcase distillery and brand center in a 160-year-old church in Nashville, Tennessee, which it acquired in 2016. “With our distillery opening in Pleasureville, KY, having our brand experience in Louisville made more sense,” said Bushala. “We will use the Nashville property as the seat of The Heaven’s Door Foundation, the Company’s philanthropic arm which supports charities for the arts.”
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Tennessee Bourbon, Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The Heaven's Door Bourbon is distilled and aged from a partner distillery in Tennessee. This Whiskey is a true Bourbon, not a Tennessee Whisky, which means this product did not undergo charcoal mellowing, also known as the Lincoln County Process. This expression has a high-rye mash bill of 70% Corn, 22% Rye, and 8% Malted Barley. The product is distilled to a lower proof, and their partner distillery exclusively offers this mash bill to the Heaven's Door brand. The bourbon is fermented using a sour mash technique, aged for a minimum of 6 years, certified kosher, and bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV). Ryan and the team are proud that this product drinks utterly different than anything other Whiskey coming from the state of Tennessee.
Double Barrel Whiskey
The Heaven's Door Double Barrel Whiskey is a unique blend of three different whiskeys. The first two whiskies are sourced from Tennessee and aged 6 years in first-fill Ex-Bourbon barrels, not new oak. Master Blender, Ryan Perry, believes the fresh dumps barrels oxidize faster because there is less extraction, creating a smoother product. Unlike the Tennessee Bourbon, these two whiskeys are authentic Tennessee Whiskeys that go through Charcoal Mellowing or the Lincoln County Process. The mash bill is 84% Corn, 8% Rye, and 8% Malted Barley for both Tennessee Whiskeys. The final Whiskey is a 7-year-old Rye sourced from Indiana with a mash bill of 95% Rye & 5% Malted Barley. Finally, all three whiskies are blended, then finished for 1 year in toasted and alligator char barrels from Kelvin Cooperage, certified kosher and bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV).
Straight Rye Whiskey, Finished in Vosges Oak Barrels
The Heaven's Door Rye was inspired by some winemakers in Napa Valley that Ryan worked with during his time with Diageo. This expression is distilled in Indiana from a mash bill of 95% Rye and 5% Malted Barley, aged over seven years in new charred American oak barrels, then cask finished for six months in toasted French oak cigar barrels. These cigar barrels are naturally air-dried outside on the low-lying mountainous region of Vosges, France, for 3 years rather than kiln-dried like most whiskey barrels. This product is certified kosher and bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV).
The Bootleg Series
"Named after Bob Dylan's famous "Bootleg Series" of albums, the highly allocated release invites people to experience the art of craft whiskey on a new level. Featuring unique and unreleased whiskeys, including special blends, barrel finishes, and rare stocks, each offering in the series features one of Dylan's paintings on a hand-made ceramic bottle in a collectible leather case."
"In addition to his renowned music career, Bob Dylan is also an accomplished painter and sculptor. The New York Times critic Marisha Pessl wrote, "He is that rare person who can move effortlessly between music, word, ink, paint… he reflects life back to us with a truth and simplicity that defy words" - Heaven's Door
Bootleg Series Vol I (2019)
This limited release is a low-rye 26-year-old whiskey finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak barrels, some of the rarest and most expensive wood in the world. The Whiskey used for this expression was specifically chosen for how the flavors would perfectly complement the Mizunara Oak. This product is bottled 111.5 proof (55.75 % ABV), and the hand-made ceramic bottle showcases one of Bob Dylan's well-known paintings, Train Tracks.
Bootleg Series Vol II (2020)
This limited release is a 15-year-old Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Jamaican Rum Casks. This product is bottled at cask strength, 104.6 (52.3% ABV), and the hand-made ceramic bottle showcases Bob Dylan's painting Sunset, Monument Valley, inside an individually numbered leather journal. This painting was recently featured in Bob Dylan's Retrospectrum at the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai, China, along with more than 250 of Bob Dylan's artworks in an array of media.
Bootleg Series Volume III (2021)
Bootleg Volume III, features a 13-year-old Kentucky Bourbon finished in Vino de Naranja casks. Bottled at cask strength with a proof of 121.2, this whiskey has a subtle sweetness from its time in orange wine casks, resulting in rich color and complex flavor. This 2021 release is presented in a handmade ceramic bottle featuring Bob Dylan's painting, Sunday Afternoon, which showcases radiant coloring and brush strokes to illustrate a boating scene from the shore.
Bootleg Series Volume IV (2022)
The fourth annual Bootleg release, The Bootleg Series Vol. IV features a wheated bourbon aged for 11 years, finished in Islay Scotch Casks, and then bottled at 111 (55.5 % ABV) proof. The ceramic bottle for Bootleg Vol. IV features Lighthouse in Maine, 2017 by Bob Dylan inside a handmade leather journal. The art is from The Beaten Path collection, celebrating Dylan’s own well-travelled path and inviting viewers to accompany him as he criss-crosses the United States through the backstreets, alleyways and country roads.
Heaven's Door Master Blenders' Edition
Heaven's Door Master Blender Ryan Perry collaborated with Master Blender Billy Leighton from the world-renowned Midleton Distillery in County Cork, Ireland, to release a limited-edition 10-year-old Bourbon finished for 15 months in Redbreast® Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey casks. This product is bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV) and features a new gate design created by Bob Dylan in his Black Buffalo Ironworks studio.
Please read more about this product here.
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©2021 Heaven’s Door Spirits, Chicago, IL.
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