BOB Dylan is a serious virtuoso. The American singer-songwriter counts himself a visual artist, has a Nobel Prize in Literature, and now, produces his own whiskey under the label, Heaven’s Door. While most celebrity-run alcohol labels garner disdain from serious snobs, Dylan’s distillery is one of the handful that produces a quality rendition of the spirit, so much so that Heaven’s Door whiskey comes with serious critics’ approval.
Heaven’s Door currently has a straight rye, an award-winning bourbon, and a double-barreled blend. Joining this acclaimed trio is a new line of whiskies dubbed the Bootleg Series, a homage to Dylan’s albums of the same name. The first expression to launch is a limited release bottling that sees the musician venturing into a rare permutation of Japanese wood to age his all-American spirit.
The wood in question is Mizunara oak, a rare source that few distillers employ because of how laborious the ageing process can be with this tricky specimen. It takes 200 years for the material to be harvested and made into barrels ready to age spirits, and even then, the wood’s high moisture content renders the casks so porous that they are prone to leakage. The extensive maintenance is why Mizunara cask-aged whiskies come with a hefty price tag. For Heaven’s Door, that’s US$499.99 (S$683).
Given how successful Dylan’s whiskey line has been, you’d be shelling out that sum for a seriously delicious collectable. The spirit will be available during the holiday season via the website. It’s never too early to start thinking about a Christmas gift for yourself, especially if you’re a diehard Dylan fan.
IMAGES: Heaven’s Door