I W Harper

[bourbonv]

Four Roses spent decades as blended whiskey in the United States and a Bourbon overseas, but I think it fair to say that they have come back to the U.S. market and claimed their fair share of the market. Early Times Bourbon has also been exiled to the overseas market, but it is coming back to the U.S. market and I think they too will do well. I think it is time for Diageo to bring I W Harper back to the United States. It is an excellent bourbon and think that it too would do well in the United States. They could still protect the Japanese market (if it needs protecting since the brand is a meer shadow of what it was 20 years ago) by making it a version not available in Japan. I would suggest a six year old bonded. Or maybe a barrel proof version.
Has anyone else tried I W Harper in the recent years? If so, what is your opinion on a U.S. version of the brand?

Bring back the Bowing Man!

[Birdo]

Please elaborate. I thought Early Times was always big here. Isn't it the bourbon of the KY Derby? I only had a single 50ml, and found it to be easy and light, and completely non offensive. I'm pretty sure guys at work drink it in coke and ginger ale as a low cost way to have bourbon.

[Bourbon HQ]

Until recently, Early Times was a whiskey, not a bourbon because it has been aged in used barrrels. Now, it is a bourbon, aged in new oak barrels.


Gayle

[PaulO]

First I'd have to say I'm in favor of any bonded bourbons, and bringing back a bonded version of I.W. Harper sounds like a wonderful idea. I hope Diageo could go back to an original recipe, and do more than just print some labels. I can't recall if I read it here or somewhere else, but I read that the I.W. Harper sold currently in Japan is bland 80 proof bulk whiskey. My own experience is that around the time I was getting interested in bourbon, BT was ending the Heritage Collection. That included some version of I.W. Harper. I missed my chance to get any, and now it's gone. Some more hear say is I.W. Harper tastes similar to Old Charter.

[bourbonv]

I hjave been tasting the Harper 80 proof and it is anything but bland. I find it full of flavor it reminds me of Wathens it may be that Charles is getting his whiskey for Wathens from Diageo, making this more than a coincidence. I don't know this for sure, but it sure tastes that way to me.

How do you define "Bulk Whiskey"? Wild Turkey 101 is a "Bulk Whiskey" since it is dumped in large batches. So is Old Froester, Very Old Barton, Old Grand Dad, Evan Williams, Old Fitzgerald, W L Weller and many more excellent bourbons. You make "bulk whiskey" sound like it is something bad.

[PaulO]

What I meant by bulk was similar to when a retailer has their own store brand and has to buy whiskey from somebody. That doesn't mean it's not good. I don't know who makes Wathens or Josh Brook, but I think they are both very good. Was the 80 proof Harper you had recently "dusty" or current export version?

[bourbonv]

They are new product from the distiller.

[PaulO]

They are new product from the distiller.

This is what they are selling only outside the U.S.?

[Brewer]

I've tasted IW Harper a couple of times, courtesy of Angelshare. On both occasions, I enjoyed the aroma & flavor very much. For all bourbon enthusiasts, I'd love to see the Harper line made available in the States.

[cowdery]

Old Charter, if you can find that, is about as close to Harper as you can get in the US, in terms of the taste profile. Of course, I don't know if the Harper they sell in Japan still tastes like that.

What the World's Largest Drinks Company is going to do about its lack of a player in the booming American whiskey segment remains to be seen. They probably are about at capacity with what they are doing now so they'll have to do something soon.

Can anyone get an estimate of how full the warehouses at Stitzel-Weller are today?

Looking at how successful Four Roses has been, Diageo has probably looked at reviving I. W. Harper in the US, but they probably don't have the capacity at this point to produce it.

[jcg9779]

I found two of these bottles this past weekend and picked them up. I don't know anything about IW Harper...was this a good pickup or not?

[PaulO]

If I saw them, I would have brought them home (unless they were crazy expensive). Given there is a UPC code, these are probably some of the last couple years before it was discontinued in the U.S.

[jcg9779]

I think the price was $15/each, but I got the lady to sell them to me for $12/each. So not expensive at all...

[whiskeybreath]

I have a quart of 86 proof IW Harper that looks to be from the 1960s {red tax stamp, no barcode, no gov't warning}. It is a TERRIFIC tasteing pour! I would only be in favor of bringing it back, if they did it right and used the old formulary. What is often forgotten in formulary discussions is the WATER. A differant water source can cause the whiskey to taste differant. Yeah, I'm a dyed in the wool traditionalist when it comes to bourbon. if they aren't going to do it right, they need to sell the brand to Sazarac and let them do it. They have allot of horses in their stable allready though, and may not be interested. I'v got an idea: Loan me the start up cash, and I'll do it! nice bottles you got there, enjoy them and raise a glass to the old distillers long gone.

[Daveparke]

My greatest love besides my beautiful wife and children is I.W.Harper in the 70s I would buy it by the case and one day I walked into lucky market AND IT WAS. GONE!!! Please bring it back in any form and let me know where to get it .
How it ever got taken off the market is a mystery I will never understand . I have researched it on the net with no luck if there is a story please lead me to the post. Thanks much .