Ten High
Encyclopedia
Ten High is a brand of American whiskey
currently produced by Barton Brands
, which is part of the Sazerac Company
. According to the label, it was established in 1879, although production of the brand actually began in the 1930s. The 1879 date refers to the founding of the Tom Moore distillery – which was not associated with the Hiram Walker & Sons
company that actually started the brand.
It has historically been a Kentucky
Straight
Bourbon whiskey
(80 Proof). However, starting in 2009, the brand switched to being a blend
rather than a straight whiskey
— at least in some bottlings.
The name Ten High refers to a barrel storage location at least ten ricks high, as barrels in the upper part of the aging warehouse mature faster. Although the brand name evoked this storage method, the manufacturer did not actually promise that the brand was from barrels aged in such locations.
The brand was originally produced by Hiram Walker & Sons
(a company owned by Harry C. Hatch
at the time) at a distillery in Peoria, Illinois
, starting shortly after the end of the Prohibition
period of 1920–1933. It was a major brand (and the leading brand of Illinois-made bourbon) until the late 1960s when the American whiskey market went through a particularly difficult period. The distillery stopped operating in 1973 and closed completely in 1981.
The Ten High brand is currently produced by Barton Brands
, which is now owned by the Sazerac Company
, and is distilled in Owensboro
and Bardstown
, Kentucky
.
American whiskey
American whiskey is a distilled beverage produced in the United States from a fermented mash of cereal grain.The production and labeling of American whiskey are governed by Title 27 of the U.S...
currently produced by Barton Brands
Barton Brands
Barton Brands, Ltd. was a company that produced many distilled spirits and liquors. In 2009, it became part of the Sazerac Company of New Orleans....
, which is part of the Sazerac Company
Sazerac Company
The Sazerac Company is a large privately held and family-operated alcoholic beverages company with headquarters in Metairie, Louisiana.It owns and produces a large and diversified portfolio of beverage brands, and it owns and operates a number of distilling companies...
. According to the label, it was established in 1879, although production of the brand actually began in the 1930s. The 1879 date refers to the founding of the Tom Moore distillery – which was not associated with the Hiram Walker & Sons
Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker was an American grocer and distiller, and the eponym of the famous distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in the mid-1830s...
company that actually started the brand.
It has historically been a Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
Straight
Straight whiskey
Straight whiskey is whisky created by distilling a fermented cereal grain mash to create a spirit not exceeding 80% alcohol content by volume and then aging the spirit for at least two years at an abv concentration not exceeding 62.5% at the start of the aging process.Filtering and dilution...
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
(80 Proof). However, starting in 2009, the brand switched to being a blend
Blended whiskey
A blended whisky is the product of blending different types of whiskies and often also neutral and near-neutral spirits, coloring, and flavorings...
rather than a straight whiskey
Straight whiskey
Straight whiskey is whisky created by distilling a fermented cereal grain mash to create a spirit not exceeding 80% alcohol content by volume and then aging the spirit for at least two years at an abv concentration not exceeding 62.5% at the start of the aging process.Filtering and dilution...
— at least in some bottlings.
The name Ten High refers to a barrel storage location at least ten ricks high, as barrels in the upper part of the aging warehouse mature faster. Although the brand name evoked this storage method, the manufacturer did not actually promise that the brand was from barrels aged in such locations.
The brand was originally produced by Hiram Walker & Sons
Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker was an American grocer and distiller, and the eponym of the famous distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in the mid-1830s...
(a company owned by Harry C. Hatch
Harry C. Hatch
Harold Clifford "Harry" Hatch was a self-made millionaire industrialist from Prince Edward County, Ontario specializing in the business of wine and spirits....
at the time) at a distillery in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
, starting shortly after the end of the Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
period of 1920–1933. It was a major brand (and the leading brand of Illinois-made bourbon) until the late 1960s when the American whiskey market went through a particularly difficult period. The distillery stopped operating in 1973 and closed completely in 1981.
The Ten High brand is currently produced by Barton Brands
Barton Brands
Barton Brands, Ltd. was a company that produced many distilled spirits and liquors. In 2009, it became part of the Sazerac Company of New Orleans....
, which is now owned by the Sazerac Company
Sazerac Company
The Sazerac Company is a large privately held and family-operated alcoholic beverages company with headquarters in Metairie, Louisiana.It owns and produces a large and diversified portfolio of beverage brands, and it owns and operates a number of distilling companies...
, and is distilled in Owensboro
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
and Bardstown
Bardstown, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,700 people, 4,712 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.