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 Prohibition in 1933.Hiram Walker & Sons Word Mark 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 Peoria distillery stopped distilling operations in 1973 and closed completely in 1981. After the Peoria distillery closed, production moved first to Heaven Hill and later to Barton, both based in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Sazerac Company acquired Barton, including the Ten High brand, in 2009.
