Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17-Year-Old Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review

Steve Coomes -

BOTTLES DETAILS

  • DISTILLER: Heaven Hill Distillery
  • MASH BILL: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
  • AGE: 17 Years
  • YEAR: 2022
  • PROOF: 118.2 Proof (59.1% ABV)
  • MSRP: $275

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Any serious whiskey fan, especially those who like older bourbon.

WORTH THE PRICE: Despite my appreciation of this bourbon, I’m not spending $275 for it. Plenty of others will, though.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bar. Even though a pour of this may cost $75 or more, the most zealous buyer may never see a bottle of it in the wild. So get a pour if you can find it.

OVERALL: This is a delicious mature whiskey, far from overly oaked and heaped with complexity and nuance. The nose is loaded with cooked dark cherries, warm dark chocolate, macaron, green apple and Juicy Fruit gum. On the palate it’s rich and mouth-coating, not drying at all. Surprises like dried strawberries and Cap’n Crunch Cereal (think sweet-sweet corn) interweave with darkly toasted bread and s’mores. The 20- and 19-year-old barrels are ideally balanced with the younger 17-year barrels.

This is a whiskey to drink by yourself; somewhere quiet so you can enjoy it without distraction. Once you’ve indulged yourself for that moment, invite a close whiskey friend to join you for a pour.

HEAVEN HILL HERITAGE COLLECTION 17-YEAR-OLD BARREL PROOF KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY

Heaven Hill Distillery Launches New, Ultra-Premium Heaven Hill Heritage Collection

BARDSTOWN, Ky. - Heaven Hill Distillery announced today the release of Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17-Year-Old Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the first edition of the new Heaven Hill Heritage Collection. Each spring, this annual, highly limited release will feature some of the distillery’s oldest inventory of aging whiskey, heralding the exacting standards Heaven Hill Distillery has practiced since 1935.

The Collection, a testament to Heaven Hill’s patience and ultra-aging techniques, will feature one of the six traditional American Whiskey mashbills produced by Heaven Hill, the only heritage distillery to produce this range. The first edition features Heaven Hill’s Bourbon mashbill comprised of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, and bottled at a barrel proof of 118.2. With an age statement of 17 years, this release is made up of 28% 20-year-old barrels, 44% 19-year-old barrels, and 28% 17-year-old barrels pulled from Deatsville, Glencoe, Schenley, and Heaven Hill main campus warehouse locations. Attributes will vary by release as deemed worthy of bottling.

“Over many years, we have been quietly aging some exquisite whiskeys to be introduced under a new collection within our Heaven Hill Distillery portfolio,” said Max L. Shapira, Heaven Hill President. “Of our 1.9 million barrels resting across six rickhouse sites, our master craftspeople have kept watchful eyes on this limited stock of special barrels and we are finally ready to release the first edition.”

Heaven Hill Heritage Collection joins its more experimental counterpart, the Parker’s Heritage Collection, to form the “Heritage Collection.” The Heaven Hill offering will be released in the spring, while Parker’s will continue to be released every fall. Releases from both collections offer a glimpse into the long-term plan across Heaven Hill’s American Whiskey stock and commitment to quality, craft, and innovation.

Each Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 750ml bottle will be accompanied by a premium box in signature Heaven Hill blue with the double-H insignia stamped in gold to signify Heaven Hill. As will become a signature of the Collection, specific attributes such as warehouse site locations, production dates, mashbill percentage, and other designations will be noted prominently on the packaging.  Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 17-Year-Old Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will launch nationally on a limited basis with an SRP of $274.99.

Disclaimer: Heaven Hill provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.