Bob Dylan announced the launch of a new line of whiskeys he’s calling ‘Heaven’s Door.’ Based out of a deconstructed church in Tennessee, Heaven’s Door is a collaboration with liquor entrepreneur Marc Bushala who sold bourbon Angel’s Envy which he sold for $150 million to Bacardi in 2015.
Dylan’s new whiskey brand will be released in May and feature a straight rye finished in French Vosges oak casks, a seven-year-old bourbon, and a “double-barrelled” whiskey.
Though the line will initially only be available in Tennessee, Florida, California, Illinois, New York, and Texas, a wider rollout is planned for the future.
While Bushala, who reportedly raised $35 million for the new project, is the company’s money man, Dylan will serve as a full partner in the business and as the face of the whiskey for all promotional campaigns. The bottle label designs will also be based on Dylan’s ironwork sculptures.
Heaven’s Door bourbon and double-barrelled are set to retail at $49.99 while the company’s rye will retail at $79.99.
Of his recent collaboration with Bushala, Dylan told the New York Times: “We both wanted to create a collection of American whiskeys that, in their own way, tell a story. I’ve been traveling for decades, and I’ve been able to try some of the best spirits that the world of whiskey has to offer. This is great whiskey.”
“Dylan has these qualities that actually work well for a whiskey,” added Bushala. “He has great authenticity. He is a quintessential American. He does things the way he wants to do them. I think these are good attributes for a super-premium whiskey as well.”\
Photo by John Shearer