A.H. Hirsch Reserve

No, it’s not a distant relative of mine. Although, I will continue to search for a connection.

A.H. Hirsch is a name every whiskey drinker needs to know. It graces the label of America’s only 5-star Whiskey. This magical Pot-Stilled Sour Mash, Straight Bourbon was distilled in the spring of 1974 at Michter’s Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania.

You might be saying to yourself, “Bourbon in Pennsylvania? Is that even possible?” Fair enough question, especially regarding that an unwritten prerequisite of fine Bourbon Whiskey is that it is distilled in the proper Bourbon County of Kentucky. There are quite a few other rules consisting of ingredients and aging that are more important here. A.H. Hirsch fulfills all of them.

Michter’s Distillery was established in 1753. Until it’s closing in 1992, it was the oldest operating distillery in America. Bourbon County wasn’t even formed until 1785. At that time, it was still part of Virginia, and was named to honor the Royal French Family. The former Fayette County was a major “hub”, as it were, for distilled spirits travelling on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. These barrels were stamped with the county name, thus coupling it with the lovely amber nectar. (Information via Straight Bourbon)

I do not believe the good people of Pennsylvania have a claim on one of the richest regions for American Whiskey, but I do believe this is the crown jewel of bourbons. Hirsch’s namesake comes from Adolf Hirsch who bought a large stock of the aged whiskey. He bottled the 16 Year and the 20 Year Reserve at Hirsch Distillers in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky; right in the heart of Bourbon County. Crafted in the hills of rural Pennsylvania, distributed from the Bluegrass State, a pot-stilled American original.

The pot still method of distillation was considered an older way to make whiskey. Michter’s championed this art by making the only post-Prohibition pot-stilled Whiskey. Other fine distilleries thought this way was “too expensive”. Although, it did attract the attention of Charles Everett Beam, a direct decendant of Jacob Beam, who took the position of master distiller. More in depth history lesson at Winebow.

A.H. Hirsch came into our lives a few years ago at Rose Pistola, a fine italian establishment in the North Beach area of San Francisco. My dad was sitting at the bar waiting for a table. He looked up and saw our last name on a bottle in big block letters:

He asked the bartender for a closer look, and obviously a taste. We haven’t looked back since. Dad, Ty, and I now make it a point to have a bottle around at all times. Which is going to get increasingly harder. Henry Preiss the preserver of the “Hirsch Selections” says there are only about 200 cases of the 20 Year Reserve and 5,000 cases of the 16 Year Reserve in existence. This does not include what is already in stores.

If you come across one of these treasures, don’t let it get away. The 16 Year is a little easier to find and comes with the label like the one in the above picture, or a plain white label with “A.H. Hirsch” in black script.

I was in San Francisco last month and visited Rose Pistola with a whiskey loving friend of mine. There was still a bottle behind the bar…