Revitalizing An Iconic Name and Creating A New Legacy

It’s our first BourbonLens.com written distiller profile and we are excited to feature a new way
to engage our audience and help you keep up with the ever-changing whiskey industry. Our hope
is that you find this content to feature a similar feel to our conversational style of podcasting. Enjoy this conversation with Kevin Aslan for HIRSCH. Many brands have come and gone; however, this famous brand is making a comeback through a concerted effort by Hotaling & Co. and their Innovation Distiller Kevin Aslan.  We recently sat down with the Hotaling & Co. team ahead of their upcoming releases of The Bivouac and The Cask Strength Finished in Cognac Casks. Our goal is to learn how Hotaling & Co. is building off the success of A.H. HIRSCH’s legacy with these new products!

Background on Kevin Aslan from HIRSCH 

Kevin’s journey to whiskey is far from what may be considered ordinary. Kevin started as a
filmmaker with a curiosity for home brewing. This led him to San Francisco and Anchor
Brewing in 2011. At Anchor, he spent his early years on the beer bottling line. His interest was
piqued upon discovering distilling and then moved to the distillery while the rest of the team
continued to focus on Anchor beer. Kevin was fortunate to be thrown into the hands-on process
at the distillery and began working with Bruce Joseph and the team making Old Potrero Rye
Whiskey.

Kevin’s creativity and his introverted personality allowed something to click inside of him that
sparked a passion that drives him today. His early days were less focused on the nuances of the
science of whiskey making, unlike today, he’s continued to grow beyond merely focusing on the
practical side of distilling. In the early days, and due to the reduced resources of the distillery, the
focus has always been on ensuring that the basics were right. His attention to detail and focusing
on the fundamentals has guided his 11-year journey to becoming Innovation Distiller for
HIRSCH. So logically we dove into this important question next: What is it like to revitalize the
iconic HIRSCH brand?

Importance of Reimagining An Iconic Brand: 

This journey started in 2013 when Hotaling & Co. brought the idea of bringing back this brand.
“It has been an honor to revitalize the HIRSCH brand.” said Kevin. The most important thing I
took away from Kevin was his humbleness in being charged to bring HIRSCH back to life. I
could sense the true passion he has around getting this right. He also never believed he would be
in the position he is and is beyond thankful for to the team giving him the resources he needs to
make this dream become a reality.
Hotaling & Co. partnered with Bardstown Bourbon Company to help bring the whiskey to life.
Kevin shared, “they have the same passion for creating the best whiskey possible for them as a
brand.” Kevin described how Bardstown Bourbon Company is not only passionate, but they are
open and honest about what they can and cannot do to make this dream a reality.

Importance of Innovation: 

There is a passion for exploration for this brand and every bottling tells a unique story. They are
built on transparency, ensuring the consumer understands what they are purchasing when they
pick up a bottle of HIRSCH. The first product they launched into market, The Horizon, was a
great success.

The Horizon set out to create a whiskey with an edge, but it was no easy feat as it involved
tasting over 100 barrels of whiskey in three short months. The great thing about the beginning of
this innovation metric is they are not tied down to one product. Enter their newest innovation; The Bivouac, featuring all Kentucky Bourbon. The Bivouac is a bourbon that will constantly evolve and will be for the everyday bourbon drinker. This bourbon comes in at 100 proof and I previously reviewed The Bivouac for BourbonLens.com. As I continued the conversation with Kevin, I had grown enormous respect for Kevin’s storytelling ability and his authenticity in helping create a new story through innovation and not resting on the iconic namesake.

What’s Next For HIRSCH? 

As Kevin and the brand looks forward, they intend to take it one day at a time and continue to
carefully craft whiskies that tell a story. They are focused on creation though collaboration and
pairing that with the highest quality whiskies that consumers will enjoy and share. Kevin alluded
to some very exciting new releases coming in 2023.

We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Hotaling & Co. and for Kevin’s time allowing
for this conversation to occur. If you are interested in either of the whiskies discussed in today’s
article, we have posted links throughout the article which provide more background on the
whiskey. 

Cheers, 
Jake