Notes: This is a relatively new whiskey for Heaven Hill but actually quite an old one as far as the United States is concerned. Wheat whiskey was actually the original whiskey of the United States, with hundreds of distilleries in New York state alone long before the whiskey rebellion and for a period of time afterward. The use of corn and the advent of bourbon happened long after wheat, and then rye whiskey took root in American culture.

Unlike rye whiskey, wheat did, however, seem to die out as a category of whiskey entirely until recently. Rye limped along and seemed to be circling the drain for a number of years after prohibition (and rotgut Canadian blended rye during and after prohibition certainly continued to destroy the reputation of the category). Rye has enjoyed a significant renaissance in recent years, and wheat, while not exactly burning up the whiskey category, seems to be making a comeback and has at least a toehold in the market. Heaven Hill came out with a Bernheim Wheat at least two years old version of this whiskey a number of years ago, then released the 7-year-old version that is more or less widely available, and have now released a few of these their Barrel Proof versions. Aged between 7 and 9 years, in a new, charred oak barrel, distilled at less than 160 proof, and contains no coloring, flavoring, or blending agents. Mashbill is as follows: 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley.  Non-chill filtered and bottled at barrel proof. This is the fifth release of this barrel-proof whiskey. It also seems like this will be a twice-yearly release, with the next one out in the fall of 2025. We will keep you posted!

Also as a side note the whiskey is being released at a MSRP of $66.99 750 ML just a few dollars more than the barrel proof Larceny releases so a whiskey worth considering.

Appearance: Russet gold/dark wheat straw gold in color, clear, Swirling produces a very thin coat on the glass with a series of small tears forming on the meniscus with a very slow retreat back into the glass..

First Impression: Wheat grain, spiciness, baked bread notes, corn, barley, brown sugar/toffee notes. A bit more grain-forward than the last batch. Overall, it was pleasant and less assertive than the last go-round.

Taste: Pleasant warming entry, slightly viscous mouthfeel, grain, butter, spices, harsh char, with tobacco notes, and heat at full strength, even for a barrel-proof whiskey. Smooths out nicely with the addition of some water, with apple baking spices warming up nicely. IMHO, it is smoother than a number of the previous batches. It ends with the distinctive barrel char and slight heat/burn to the finish.

Drinks: Think more of Irish whiskey-type drinks, which are more delicate than rye and not as sweet as bourbon and a bit drier and less malty tasting than barley.

Bottle: We cannot comment as we did not receive a production bottle to comment on.

Other: Barrel-proof version of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey. There have been three previous releases of the Bernheim Barrel proof series and a number of other Bernheim wheat whiskey releases. Just search for Bernheim in our reviews section for all of them. Last year’s (2024) previous releases were the Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof Batch A224 125.2 Proof and the Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey Batch B924 at 122.6 Proof.
Previous versions were Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Wheat Whisky A223 118.8 Proof,  and Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey B923 120.6 Proof. Please check out our reviews of the other Bernheim wheat whiskies ( search under Bernheim in our search function) and, of course, all our other Heaven Hill whiskey reviews.

Final Thoughts: It is simple and uncomplicated, but as I have said before, it shows improvement! Using a different wheat variety ( such as a soft white winter wheat)might also be a step in the right direction. I suspect they are using standard hard wheat—probably a red—which leads to a harsher, not to say, industrial taste in wheat spirits.

Website: www.hevenhill.com/bernheim-barrel-proof.php

Somewhat minimal website, but worth a look.