A. H. Hirsch Reserve 16 Year with the gold wax top is one of the Julian Van Winkle III bottlings of the 1974 Hirsch whiskey, released in the years before the final 2003 Gold Foil. It is much sought after by collectors of old American bourbon.
About This Bourbon
The gold wax 16 year old was bottled by Julian Van Winkle III, largely at his Old Commonwealth site in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, around the late 1990s to early 2000s. It appeared in both a tall bottle and a squat version made for export. The same label was later reused for the 2003 Gold Foil release. The whiskey is bottled at 45.8% ABV (91.6 proof) after 16 years in new charred oak.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Caramel, vanilla and old oak, with dried orange peel, leather and baking spice.
- Palate: Mature and structured, with toffee, rye spice, dark sugar and fine oak tannin.
- Finish: Long and dry, with caramel, clove and a gentle oak grip.
Serving & Food
Neat, at room temperature, in a copita or tulip glass. Old wax can crumble, so cut it back cleanly before drawing the cork. After dinner, try it with salted pecans or a small piece of aged Gouda.
How to Enjoy
The centrepiece of a Hirsch vertical, or a serious American whiskey collection.
Product Details
Brand: A. H. Hirsch Reserve
Distillery: Pennco Distillery (later Michter's), Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania
Bottled by: Julian Van Winkle III
Age: 16 years old
Vintage / Distillation Reference: Spring 1974
Presentation: Gold Wax
Style: Straight bourbon whiskey
Region: Distilled in Pennsylvania, bottled in Kentucky, USA
ABV: 45.8% ABV (91.6 proof)
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
A. H. Hirsch Reserve comes from a single run of about 400 barrels commissioned by Adolf H. Hirsch, a former Schenley executive, and distilled in spring 1974 at the Pennco Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. Soon after, the plant was sold in foreclosure and renamed Michter's; that distillery has since closed.
Hirsch later sold the barrels to Gordon Hue of Cork 'n' Bottle in Covington, Kentucky. Hue moved most of the whiskey into stainless steel tanks at 16 years old to stop the ageing, and asked Julian Van Winkle III to bottle it in small lots through the 1990s. The remaining stock later passed to Henry Preiss of Preiss Imports, who had the final 16 year old bottled at Buffalo Trace in 2003. With the distillery long gone, no more of this whiskey can ever be made.