There I was, minding my own business bothering nobody over at the store and what do I spy on the bottom shelf but a unique offering which I had overlooked at least a dozen times. It was one offering of Hirsch: The Horizon, a straight bourbon whiskey out of Indiana which released in 2020. At $40 it seemed strange to force it to the bottom shelf to be merchandised alongside all the normal bottom shelf belly wash style expressions. Yet there it was, a premium looking product just hanging out in the “low-rent” district of the store.
Although I am in the habit of making purchase decisions based on a product’s contents, not its container I have to admit that the packaging is oddly fresh and attractive. Of course, anyone can take their favorite beverage and pour it into a cool glass bottle; you don’t really need that done for you. With that said the outstanding work which went into the Hirsch bottle design has to be noted here because it indeed conveys an important message about the product to the consumer.
It’s obvious that the shape of the bottle was deliberate and carefully crafted. It is neither round nor square; neither tall nor short; neither thick nor thin. It is a rectangular bottle with gentle corners and soft shoulders. It is a bit reminiscent of a whiskey flask. There’s even a small sextant symbol embossed on each side. Why? Because Hirsch: The Horizon bourbon does not want to exist by sitting on a forgotten shelf at the back of your home bar or cupboard waiting for you to rediscover it because you ran out of something else. No, Hirsh: The Horizon is designed to be ready for adventure. You’re going on a hike this weekend? Hirsch says, “Pack me up, too… I’m ready to go!” With its specialized shape, it is a certainly a handy, packing-friendly bottle. This is not like your grandfather’s old bottle of bourbon, and that’s their point. This new Hirsch branding does not resemble the original A.H. Hirsch Whiskey product by design.
Again, fancy glass bottles alone do not convince me to try a product; I recycle anyway. What got me was the label on the back which clearly states the entire mashbill, mix, and age statement for this expression. This kind of transparency is unusual and rare to see. For this bottle, 94% of the contents were aged four years and ten months consisting of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% barley malt with the remaining 6% aged seven years, nine months consisting of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% barley malt. This was batch No. AHH1021 according to the bottle seal, and of course the mashbill can vary from batch to batch. It is bottled at 92 proof, which is a personal “sweet spot” for my preference. If you are packing it along for the hike, the lower proof does help to ensure that you’ll still be able to find your way out of the woods later. My initial fascination with the distinct packaging aside, I determined that a bourbon this transparent about their mash bill had to be worth a fair consideration.
With so much clarity on the mashbill, the only true mystery about Hirsch is where it was originally distilled. One tradition that Hirsch retained from the original company was purchasing quality whiskey from a reputable distillery for blending, finishing and bottling. Most anyone who has reviewed Hirsch so far has ventured a credible guess that the distillate originates from the giant bulk distillery MGP which is known to supply bulk whiskeys to many outside “sourced” craft whiskey brands. I agree with this theory, and that’s not a bad thing at all.
In the glass its color is a pleasing russet/muscat which was rather sticky with long tears down the glass after a swirl or two in the Glencairn.
On the nose, I pick up notes of…warm fresh bread, butterscotch and vanilla quite easily. There is an oaky note but it is subdued and buried in the background with a few other sweet notes such as caramel is detected.
On the palate it feels oily, creamy and nicely coats the tongue as it did the glass. There is a cinnamon forward flavor followed by that oaky note and perhaps several baking spices. That little bit of rye is likely the contributor to the extra hint of spice just lurking in the background.
It finishes rather gently albeit a longer finish with lingering sweetness and maybe a light dash of white pepper very late. The finish is quite longer than most and a two or three minutes after you finish, you’ll still be tasting its pleasant notes, or echoes of them.
My bottom line: While not overly complex, this is a high quality expression that drinks above its price point. I would have expected Hirsch to fall in the $50 to $60 range. Whether you are on the prowl for a new craft bourbon to try, or on the lookout to try something different, you are probably going to enjoy and appreciate Hirsch: The Horizon.
Photos courtesy of Daniel Rundquist
