Damn, I just realized we have reviewed 72 Heaven Hill products at this last count. They certainly spanned a wide range of products, price points, and in some cases, quality. But they were and are usually good to excellent, and a fair number outstanding.

I have compiled a list of them HERE for your perusal. Unfortunately, many have been hunted to extinction already, but the list may prove useful in identifying at least the family of spirits you may want to try as new versions roll out.

Below is our standard intro to the Heaven Hill family with history and links followed with specific information for this release.

Notes: This whiskey is produced at the Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown and has a new visitors center, the Bourbon Heritage Center (which sadly was about to open the week after we visited, so we never got there).

Close to both Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve Distillery if you are touring. Home of numerous other whiskies and several line extensions/releases. Among these are the Trybox Series New Make and the TryBox Series New Make Rye, both of which were new straight off the still whiskies, which were fun for comparing against their aged brothers or sisters.  The more or less standard releases of Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old, Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel, Elijah Craig 21-Year-Old Single Barrel, Larceny Bourbon, Henry McKenna, Old Fitzgerald, Fighting Cock, and Cabin Still, among others. There are also the multiple vintage releases of the Evan Williams line, such as the Evan Williams Vintage 2000, Evan Williams Vintage 2003, the multiple batches of the Larceny Barrel Proof Series, and the multiple Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch releases that we have reviewed.

The Parkers Heritage Collection had been a very wide range of Parkers’ personal favorites and barrel picks over the years, and releases in the series include Parkers Heritage 2009 (3rd Release) or Golden Anniversary, Parkers Heritage  Number 7 Promise of Hope, Parkers Heritage Number 8, a Wheat Whiskey, the Parker Heritage 15 Edition Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey from Fall of 2021, and the Parker Heritage 16th Edition of 2022.

Parker was a good friend, and we were very sorry when he passed away in 2017. We learned a lot from him, and he was always a gentleman and had a dry wit, and always had great insights. After his passing, the series was continued in his honor, and now the Parkers Heritage Number 16 is the latest release and continues the tradition of supporting  ALS or Lou Gehrig’s.

On the golden (50th) year of his employment at Heaven Hill, Parker Beam, the Master Distiller, came up with the idea of a personal blend to commemorate the event. Every year since then, the whiskey community has been treated to a yearly release of something special to commemorate another anniversary with a unique whiskey. Since Parkers’ passing, it has fallen to the new master distillers and blenders to find a unique and limited release to commemorate Parker and carry on both his whiskey and charitable traditions. As a side note, Heaven Hill has donated more than 1 million dollars since 2013 from the Parker Heritage Collection. This latest release is titled a Heaven Hill Heritage Collection Release. Heaven Hill seems to be deemphasizing Parkers’ name in these lately, so please note the change.

This one is somewhat unique compared to others in a couple of points. Yes , Heaven Hill has released a few malt centric whiskies before, and yes, they have done some interesting grain whiskeys of various proportions, but this is the first high malt whiskey at this age they have ever released and one of the few utilizing the skill of Alain Royer and his artistry with blending and his use of cognac barrels to such a degree.

Geeky Details: Mashbill  is 65% Malted Barley , 35% Corn and bottled at 107 proof ( entry proof not stated). 128 barrels in total were created on March of 2009. The 14 year old malt was then subsequently rebarreled into 56 larger Cognac barrels reconstructed with a heavy toast for 4 months.The malt whiskey barrels were originally stored on the fourth floor of rick house O and on the 6th floor of warehouse Q  ( giving the temperature and and surroundings of the barrels some interesting variation between the batches) . Once the malt whiskey was rebarreled the cognac barrels were placed  pulled from the 3rd floor of Rickhouse H1 on the fifth floor .

This bottling is non-chill-filtered, which means more taste, but it may become a touch cloudy at cold temperatures. This is a natural occurrence and should be seen as a mark of quality rather than a defect. Chill filtering is usually done for cosmetic reasons and can filter out some natural components and flavor. It is also barreled at barrel proof ( in this case and to be specific, 132.2 proof or 66.1 5 alcohol by volume)

Notes: This is an extremely allocated bottle.While the competition for it may not be as intense as it is not a ‘Name’ and highly sought after bottle just because of it, finding one in the wild may prove to be a real problem ( I only received a small sample bottle sadly as I am in love with this whiskey myself and have had no luck securing a bottle )

Appearance: Clear, reddish burnished  gold color Rather viscous in appearance but on swirling leaves almost no coating on the glassAn edge line is rather discreet with a few small tears almost evenly spaced as they retreat down the sides of the glass

First Impression: Full on grain nose, with barley and corn forming a harmonious bouquet of gran in a rich and full way. Rather more reminiscent of a Japanese Irish style whiskey than a bourbon but that can be a refreshing change !
The high notes of the barley grain come across and then are grounded by the corn mash notes Grainy, earthy, with malt, caramel and a touch of sweetness.

Taste: Sensuous mouthfeel, like cashmere and silk in liquid form. Delicious with a medium weight entry. Notes of chestnut marzipan, chocolate, traces of brand, barrel char , leather, saddle soap ,cocoa and Demerara  sugar.

Drinks:Makes a lovely Manhattan, Paper Plane and several other rye family cocktails, but really best enjoyed in a proper tasting glass with a good cigar.

Bottle: Cannot comment as we did not receive a production bottle.

Other: Enjoy with a Davidoff or similar quality cigar. A good malt demands a good cigar!

Final Thoughts: One of the best spirits especially a whiskey I have had this year.

Website: Bardstown Whiskey Society
Fast loading and easy to navigate. This is one of the most comprehensive bourbon (or any other spirit for that matter) websites I have come across – and that is saying a lot! Extensive information and good pictures of how bourbon is made, the distillery, the bourbon heritage with reviews and ratings by different people and organizations of the different vintage years. Also the most extensive store of bourbon-related gear and accessories in the industry.