The Bob Dylan-fronted whiskey brand Heaven’s Door has unveiled “Volume 1” of its Bootleg Series, a rare 26-year old whiskey finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak barrels. It comes in a handmade ceramic bottle that features Dylan’s painting, Train Tracks. Each edition comes in an individually numbered leather journal.
Coming in at a fiery 111.5 proof, the mash is low in rye, which, according to the distillery, lets the Mizunara Oak barrels shine through, with an enjoyably smooth, long finish. Heaven’s Door Master Blender Ryan Perry wrote in a statement, “The unusually long maturity of the whisky is balanced with the acquired notes of coconut, coriander and a native incense of Dīngxiāng (clove). The Mizunara Oak offers an exotic taste and lingering finish found in some of the best Japanese whiskies. We’ve been working on this release for many years and are thrilled with the end result.”
Only 3,000 bottles of the whiskey will ever be released, and that kind of exclusivity comes with a hefty suggested price tag of $499.99 for a 750ml bottle. “Volume 1” of The Bootleg Series is now available for pre-order and will come to a variety of retailers nationwide in early December.
The whiskey brand is planning on releasing new editions of the “Bootleg Series” annually. Each release will come in a handmade ceramic bottle that features one of Dylan’s paintings and a collectible case.
The Heaven’s Door portfolio of craft whiskeys also includes Tennessee Straight Bourbon, Double Barrel Whiskey, and Straight Rye Whiskey finished in cigar barrels from Vosges.
In the fall of 2020, the brand is set to open the Heaven’s Door Distillery and Center for the Arts in Nashville, Tennessee. A multi-use space, the facility will include a distilling operation, a concert venue, a restaurant and whiskey library, and an art center that features paintings and metalwork sculptures created by Dylan. The distillery is set to inhabit a church, built in 1860, in downtown Nashville.