Rising from the ashes of Prohibition and into the midst of the Great Depression in Bardstown, KY, Heaven Hill Distillery has grown to be the largest independent family-owned and operated producer of distilled spirits products in the US, and the second-largest holder of bourbon whiskey inventory in the world. The distillery was set up in 1935 after a small group approached the Shapira family seeking capital investment to set up a distillery using their technical expertise. Following personal financial difficulties among the other members of the founding group, their interests in the “Old Heavenhill Springs” distillery were bought out by the Shapira family, making the distillery a fully family-owned enterprise. With renewed purpose, the family kept on one of the original investors, James L. Beam as Master Distiller, and hired the best bourbon-producing talent they could find in their local Bardstown. Four years later in 1939, they released their first product, a 4-year-old Bottled in Bond bourbon under the Old Heaven Hill brand. The brand quickly became one of the top-selling bourbons in the State and cemented the distillery’s position as one of the top bourbon producers in Kentucky at the time. The name of the distillery originates from the family name of William Heavenhill, who was an early pioneer farmer and owned the original property on which the distillery sat. When originally registering the company a clerical mistake resulted in the name becoming Heaven Hill as opposed to Heavenhill.
On November 7th 1996, a fire that started in one of the barrel ageing warehouses spread by strong winds, destroying almost the entire distillery and numerous ageing warehouses. Overall, 90,000 barrels of whisky were lost and for the next 3 years, the company was dependent on production capacity in neighbouring distilleries. In 1999, Heaven Hill completed the purchase of the Old Bernheim Distillery from Diageo in Louisville, and once the distillery was adapted, the production and distillation end moved to Louisville, whilst ageing, bottling, and shipping still occur on the original Bardstown site.
Today, the modern iteration of the company, Heaven Hill Brands, has become a diversified supplier of whiskeys, liqueurs, vodkas, rums, and other spirits. They own 62 rickhouses in Central KY and distribute hundreds of brands. Under the Heaven Hill Distillery portfolio, they produce award-winning products such as Henry McKenna, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, and Rittenhouse rye to name a few. The distillery also has the largest number of Bottled in Bond whiskies on the market and is the only heritage distiller that features every major category of American whiskey in their 5 distinct mashbills producing traditional bourbon, wheated bourbon, rye whiskey, corn whiskey, and wheat whiskey. Under 7th Master Distiller (and fellow countryman) Conor O’Driscoll the distillery is on course to fill almost 400,000 barrels again this year and with continued investment production capacity is growing every year to meet rising demand.
First launched in 2012, Larceny Bourbon is a wheated bourbon named in honour of John E. Fitzgerald, a treasury agent who reportedly used his keys to pilfer Bourbon from the best barrels, thus committing larceny. Legend has it that Fitzgerald’s exceptional palate for finding the finest barrels impressed S.C Herbst, the owner of the “Old Fitz” brand from the 1880s through Prohibition, as well as “Pappy” Van Winkle, who purchased the brand during Prohibition and made it his signature label. They both decided to immortalize Fitzgerald by creating and maintaining the namesake brand. While the truth about Fitzgerald’s background remains uncertain—whether he was a treasury agent with a taste for savouring honey barrels under the cover of darkness or a historical distiller who used wheat instead of rye as the flavouring grain—Old Fitzgerald and its unofficial connection to Fitzgerald’s supposed history persist to this day. Larceny Bourbon follows the Old Fitzgerald tradition of using wheat instead of rye, employing winter wheat to create a softer, rounder character that characterizes Old Fitzgerald and other “wheated” Bourbons like Maker’s Mark and the Van Winkle line. What sets Larceny apart from its competitors is its use of Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon mashbill, which contains over a third more wheat than its closest rival, resulting in a smoother drinking experience.
2024 is long gone, and if you also need a second to contemplate how fast 2025 is moving, you would be forgiven for being shocked! Yes, time moves quick, but thankfully, the kind folks at Heaven Hill work diligently to keep fans’ glasses topped up with only the finest liquid. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Larceny Barrel Proof releases from 2024, but first, let’s get some context on the Larceny brand. Traditionally bottled at 92 proof, Larceny Small Batch is aimed at the premium market and produced from barrel dumps of 200 or fewer barrels that have been selected from the 4th, 5th and 6th floors of Heaven Hill’s open rick warehouses in Nelson County, KY. Larceny bourbon is typically aged from 6 to 12 years old and therefore sits towards the older end of the readily available wheated bourbon spectrum. In 2020, Heaven Hill released the first extension of the Larceny Brand, Larceny Barrel Proof. Following the template set out by Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, this is a non-chill filtered, bottled straight from the barrel mingling of bourbons aged between 6 and 8 years old, and thus “offers whiskey fans an opportunity to taste Larceny as Heaven Hill’s Master Distiller does. Being a wheated bourbon, Larceny features Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon mashbill containing 20% wheat, one of the highest percentages in the industry. Although not age-stated, the barrels chosen are typically aged between 6 – 8 years old – because this is where wheated bourbon maturation peaks as barrel spice has not yet intruded and begun the process of dominating the delicate yet desirable flavour nuances.
Today, we’re going to take a wider look at the Larceny Barrel Proof releases by reviewing last year’s 3 releases of Larceny Barrel Proof released in January, May, and September. Typically, I would write an individual review for each of these releases, but today we’re doing something a little different as I’ve always found comparative reviews to be the best source of what bottle I’m going to buy next, especially when I’ve an option between two or three releases.
A124 – 124.2 Proof/ 62.1%ABV
Nose: The nose opens with soft and faintly tart red fruits, rounded out by soft dark brown sugar caramels, cacao, and chocolate-heavy earthy baking and barrel spices. As you nose deeper the barrel spices pick up a faintly herbaceous edge, whilst dark chocolate notes continue to develop alongside a now syrupy molasses note. There’s also a touch of floral ethanol and toasted almonds, which shine through at the end.
Palate: The palate opens viscous with sweet dark sugar syrup, tart red fruits, a touch of rich dark prunes, and dry peppery barrel spices. A warming heat builds on the mid-palate, bringing with it increasingly herbaceous dark barrel char notes whilst remaining very syrupy and dark, with molasses coming through consistently. As you continue to chew, the viscosity yields to some rich red and black stewed fruits, peppery earthy barrel spices, dark chocolate, and some heat from the subtle lingering ethanol on the back of the palate.
Finish: The finish opens warm, soft, a touch tannic and dry but richly flavourful with undercurrents of fire-roasted almonds, rich fruits, dark chocolates, peppery baking spices and herbaceous char leading into a lingering aftertaste of dark herbaceous barrel char.
Overall:
The 2024 Larceny Barrel Proof trifecta hit the ground running with the A124 release. Always a release to make a grand entrance, this one is a wheated bourbon drinker’s dream and packs in an abundance of all the punchy rich flavours you want from Larceny barrel-roof. As an added bonus, the profile is further complemented by a richly sweet and syrupy mouthfeel that blankets the palate with layers of soft wheat flavours and the texture and sweetness from particularly syrupy barrels. Of course, as you continue to chew, some of that viscosity yields to faintly peppery barrel spices, but this adds a further balance to the sweetness and doesn’t overwhelm the enjoyment of this nuanced bourbon. Instead, the combination of these factors creates a rich and enjoyable drinking experience that drinks softer than its stated proof with the word that comes to mind being luxurious. No bumps, no rattles, no sharp spice, no gaps in flavour, just soft, gentle, plain sailing on a calm, amber sea of bourbon backlit by a warm setting sun. The complex molasses notes throughout also make me believe that for this batch the Heaven Hill team pulled from some older stocks to give this bourbon a complex maturity that can’t be faked.
B524 – 125.4 Proof/ 62.7% ABV
Nose: The nose opens with rich, sweet caramels, dark baking spices, and a faintly smoky earthiness. As you nose deeper, rich fruit notes poke through the complex blend of barrel spices and a peppery oak edge also develops alongside faintly floral ethanol and subtle marzipan.
Palate: The palate opens viscous with condensed, nearly burnt caramels, tart cherries stewed in brown sugar, chocolate, and earthy almonds. As you continue to chew, there’s an explosion of hot tannic spice which warms the palate and quickly fades towards a chocolate-forward profile that also brings bold red fruits, earthy lingering spices, floral ethanol, and charred herbaceous oak along.
Finish: The finish opens with lingering charred tannin spice, fire-roasted almonds caramelised in brown sugar, chocolate and very faint fruits as it leads into a long aftertaste of chocolate, herbaceous charred oak, and fire-toasted almonds.
Overall:
For a start, B524 immediately sets itself apart from January’s indulgent profile and has noticeably more kick to it, combining the subtlety and complexity of Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon profile with the spice and warmth of a straight-from-the-barrel bourbon drinking experience. There are still all the deeply rich flavours of a wheated bourbon, but that barrel proof character sharpens the edges of this bourbon’s decadent profile and creates a whiskey which warms the palate as it moves, driving flavour intensity and depth to new levels. Add to this rich dark cherry notes, an edge of floral ethanol, and peppery tannic oak also shining through, and the result is a wheated bourbon that’s delicate, yet boisterous, as it trades A124’s caramels and floral notes for barrel-driven flavours, a warming KY hug, and rich depth. This one was the release that reminded me of other premium barrel-proof wheated bourbons, and demonstrates Heaven Hill’s ability to produce something that’s easily on par with its more infamous and sought-after barrel-proof cousins.
C924 – 125.1 Proof/62.55% ABV
Nose: Soft caramels bordering on syruppy butterscotch are mixed in with tart red fruit flavours which are faintly sweet (strawberries), as you nose deeper, some earthy barrel spices also develop alongside floral ethanol.
Palate: The palate is incredibly viscous with rich caramels meeting big fat red floral notes, as well as nearly salty chocolate notes. As you chew, the complexity has added to it salty fire toasted almonds, more caramels (dark this time) and chocolate barrel spice
Finish: The finish opens with lingering barrel spices before dark caramels, chocolate notes, and earthy barrel spices lead into a warm and lingering aftertaste of chocolate-driven barrel spice notes mixed with dark caramels.
Overall:
No, your eyes do not deceive you, Larceny got a makeover and it has never looked this good! Announced between B524 and C924, Larceny Barrel Proof and Small batch both received a full packing makeover, propelling the classic black and white labelling into the modern era with a premium label detailing the history of John E Fitzgerald, new artistic elements and styling, copper accents, and even a bonus feature for those who own a black light – UV sensitive text. The new packaging may have stolen the show but we all know it’s what’s inside that really counts! So put the blacklight down, swirl that glass anticlockwise one more time for good luck, and let’s jump into the details of Batch C924. As the final release of Larceny for 2024, C924 is usually something extra special. A124 had big flavours, B524 has energy, and C924 hits you with the final big showstopper. In a comparative tasting of all 3, it had the best of both previous releases but with added balance and no whirring sound as it glided noiselessly from nose to finish.
In conclusion, 2024 was another fine year for Larceny Barrel proof and was capped off with a label overhaul for the entire range. Each release brought its own nuance to the table without losing sight of that sweet and decadent wheated bourbon profile, which is the backbone of these Larceny releases.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, 2024 was another great year for Larceny Barrel Proof, ending with a very cool new label overhaul. Overall, each of the three releases had its own unique twist while keeping that sweet, rich wheated bourbon flavour that Larceny is known for. Comparing the three releases side-by-side, I found B524 the richest, darkest, and boldest, C924 more luxurious with a viscous, nearly oily mouthfeel, and A124 the fruitiest with a sharper touch of oak spice, despite having a lower proof. Interestingly, the proofs of all three 2024 releases were pretty similar, meaning that the choice of blend and barrels was given the chance to shine on an even footing and show fans how important this is to the overall profile of each release.
Since its introduction in 2020, Larceny Barrel Proof has enjoyed ongoing success, consistently impressing bourbon enthusiasts with its exceptional quality and fair pricing. The Heaven Hill team deserves high praise for maintaining such a high standard across each release, ensuring that every bottle delivers the rich, wheated bourbon profile that fans have come to love. Their dedication to quality and consistency, along with their commitment to keeping prices accessible, has solidified Larceny Barrel Proof’s reputation as a standout in the bourbon world.
Try or Buy?
With an RRP of around $65 for a whiskey that is unfiltered, uncut, and straight from the barrel, these releases remain some of the best buys in bourbon!
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