Once in a Lifetime Bourbons

The bourbon was aged seven to eight years in the upper floors of Rickhouse Q, then finished for four months in barrels that previously held French Orange Curaçao liqueur. This is the second barrel-finished bourbon in the collection, following in the steps of the 5th Edition Cognac finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Traditional bourbon notes of vanilla and caramel upfront that are quickly washed over with a wave of orange soda, candied fruits, and mild barrel char. A flash of orange marmalade, orange sponge candy, slight bitterness, and sugary alcoholic bite instantly reminds me of Grand Marnier. Seasoned oak and hearty vanilla notes roll in, bumping out the majority of the Orange Curaçao barrel finish.Seasoned oak and vanilla notes carry over into the finish and dominate. Sugary orange notes weave throughout, but struggle to really pop.

The 14th edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection features Heaven Hill’s traditional rye Bourbon mashbill, aged in specialty barrels that were charred for a full minute and a half, as opposed to our traditional 40 seconds. These “Level 5” barrels were aged for a full 10 years, where the heavier char allowed the Bourbon to penetrate further into the barrel, bringing forth caramel and maple sweetness. Fruit forward on the nose with smooth, rich marmalade on the palate. Cloves & cinnamon on the finish.

In honor of what would have been Elmer’s 100th birthday, a 100 proof commemorative bottling of Elmer T. Lee 100 Year Tribute Single Barrel Bourbon is being released by Buffalo Trace Distillery. This is a limited edition, one time only release with the same age and mashbill as the standard Elmer T. Lee, but this whiskey is bottled at 100 proof. The bourbon has the classic taste that Elmer would have loved, with a nose of maple syrup up front, a taste of creamy vanilla with berries, and a long finish of coffee, toasted oak, and vanilla.

Toffee, candy corn, cherries, burnt caramel, Dr. Pepper, charred barrels on the nose. Toffee, candy corn, cherries, burnt caramel, Dr. Pepper, charred barrels on the palate. Dried fruit on the finish. Mid to back, long and dry.

This year’s Parker’s Heritage Collection release is also named “Promise of Hope,” and is also unique in that it’s the first single barrel Bourbon to be released in the series. Parker Beam personally selected around 100 barrels from Heaven Hill’s inventory at his favorite spot for “honey barrels” in the company’s Deatsville maturation warehouses, the top tiers of Rickhouse EE. The whiskey is 10 years old, and bottled without chill-filtering at Parker’s preferred strength of 48% ABV. A perfectly balanced, sweet smelling nose. Hints of fruits and spice, enhanced with oak. Caramelized sugar, honey and maple stand out the most. A very complex splash of flavors when it hits the tongue. Caramelized sugar and apples, with dashes of sweet honey and maple syrup.As it settles on the back of your tongue, oak characteristics come into play. Caramel also begin to pull out over the sugars.

This 30th anniversary edition is a joy to sip even at almost 126 proof. The whiskey is smooth and creamy, with notes of vanilla, baked pears, cinnamon, leather, and a touch of smoke, plus enough heat to remind the imbiber that it's still a Booker's.

One of the rarest bottles that also celebrates a rare bourbon icon. Al Young, a member of the Kentucky Distillers Association Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, has worked for Four Roses for over 50 of its 129 year history. To honor this fine gentleman, Four Roses created a limited edition in 2017, and only in 2017, with a unique recipe picked by Al Young Himself. It is a mixture of 23, 15, 13, and 12 year old recipes that have resulted in a truly unique flavor profile. With a nose of sweet caramel and floral honeysuckle combined with a palate of fresh peaches, apricots, warm fig, rich oak, and a hint of mint at the finish, this bottle is truly a one of a kind and no longer available in stores.

This release of double eagle very rare from 2023 (laser coded 2022).  This release contained 1000 bottles.

This very limited 20-year-old bourbon whiskey lives up to its name, maturing twice as long as the standard Eagle Rare 10-year-old bourbon and featuring two beautifully-sculpted crystal glass eagles in the Double Eagle decanter.

A true collectors’ item, Double Eagle Very Rare is presented in a luxurious silver box and crystal decanter. Very few bottles were produced, with an individually-numbered letter of authenticity included with each.

*current inventory is a 700ml bottling*

Iconic original Stitzel Weller mashbill of the Pappy Van Winkle 20.  This bottle is truly a unicorn as it was barreled in 1991 just as Van Winkle was on its rise.   No other bourbon today can stand 20 years of aging, but this bourbon does it with style. Pappy Van Winkle was a true character. This bourbon, like Pappy, is full of the character that makes it a very special whiskey

It is a cask-strength 1996 Bourbon that has mellowed over 48 Kentucky seasons on the fifth floor of Rickhouse Y in Bardstown. The bottling was drawn from a lot of 68 carefully selected barrels, which were dumped in three "very small batches" of 22, 22 and 24 barrels each. This one is rich, with thick toffee, molasses, vanilla fudge, and Heath bar. It’s also well balanced, with underlying exotic spice, summer fruit, dusty corn, and tobacco to balance the sweeter notes. Long, soothing, finish. A nicely matured bourbon of character and pedigree.

This very limited 20-year-old bourbon whiskey lives up to its name, maturing twice as long as the standard Eagle Rare 10-year-old bourbon and featuring two beautifully-sculpted crystal glass eagles in the Double Eagle decanter.

A true collectors’ item, Double Eagle Very Rare is presented in a luxurious silver box and crystal decanter. Very few bottles were produced, with an individually-numbered letter of authenticity included with each.

This bourbon was released in 2010 as the 4th edition of the Parker's Heritage Collection. It was also the first time the series introduced barrel-proof extra-aged wheated bourbon. 52 ten-year-old barrels were dumped producing 4,800 bottles. The cask this bottle came from clocked in at 62.1% ABV. "Buttered caramel corn and vanilla snap on the nose with animal crackers and a thick oak layer. Old wood, like the whisky was tapped from a giant oak tree (a magical one at that), hits hard on the palate. Baking spices accent the taste with cinnamon leading the spiced up high alcohol blast. This is a thick and chewy bourbon. A pleasant varnished tartness mingles long with the earthy wood taking you on an amusement-park log ride of a finish."

This rye is a tribute to Booker Noe, the legend who served as longtime master distiller for the Beam brands and founded their Small Batch Bourbon Collection (including Booker’s Bourbon and Knob Creek). Put in the barrel back in 2003, the new Booker’s rye was among the “last barrels laid down” by Booker Noe in the final years of his life. Amazingly, Booker’s has never released a rye in all those subsequent years.

Heavy Char Rye Whiskey 8 Year is the 13th edition in the Parker's Heritage Collection, named after the late Heaven Hill master distiller Parker Beam. This marks the first Kentucky straight rye for the collection. Also, ordinarily Heaven Hill uses char #3 barrels for most of its products. In this case, char #5 barrels -- charred an additional 50 seconds more than char #3 level -- are used. Heavy Char Rye aged for 8 years and 9 months on the seventh floor of rickhouse Y. Bottled without chill-filtration at 52.5% ABV. At 105-proof it lands with a bit of smoke, ample vanilla, background notes of banana bread and pine, and a warming finish that leaves a trace of baking spice. It's very well balanced, with spice to punch through the rich oak influence and complexity that keeps one coming back for another pour.

Booker’s 25th Anniversary Bourbon was released to celebrate the 25th year of Booker’s Bourbon and includes the oldest whiskey ever bottled for the Booker’s line (9-11 years). But wait, there’s more: these barrels were not just the oldest ever bottled under the Booker’s name, but were also among the last barrels Booker laid down before his passing. Booker’s 25th Anniversary Bourbon was taken from the 5th floor (“center cut”) of the Jim Beam warehouses to get that perfect balance of rustic (oak, grain, leather, etc.) and sweetness (caramel, vanilla, dark fruit, etc.).

Char, apricots, persimmons, nutmeg , vietnamese cinnamon, vanilla, leather, macadamia nuts, some spiciness, and a faint trace of marzipan, and on more warming tropical fruit. Toffee, (not caramel), corn, apricot again, vanilla, cinnamon family spices much like the bouquet. A slightly sweet start, medium mouth feel, more like a good armagnac than like a cognac (and I mean that in a positive way, armagnac can be much more complex and interesting than cognac). Lovely long finish with a fair amount of oak, char, leather, dark fruit, apple butter and vanilla.

This was made in memory of Parker Beam. Very well balanced and mellow on the nose and palate. Sweet notes of mature dark rum, toffee, nougat and candy corn dovetail with dried apricot, golden raisin, hot cinnamon, soft mint tea, and vanilla. Polished leather and tobacco leaves on a long, contemplative finish. It is what an ultra-mature bourbon should taste like: all the depth and complexity that comes with this much aging without all the excessive oak. The wood is there, but it never crosses the line.

Predominant oak stands out but not overpowering as you would expect in a 25-year old bourbon. Wheated bourbons typically age well, and this ORVW follows suit. The sweet sugars hold up and provide an excellent balance and flavor complexity to the oak forward. The proof point is just right with this expression. It’s a straight down the middle, aged wheated bourbon that is very nice.

A mix of some of Heaven Hill's best styles including rye- and wheat-based whiskey. The result of this is rich, buttery and full of spice. Creamy butterscotch and hints of Muscovado sugar. Corinth raisins and sweet cinnamon. A little gingerbread. Thick, rich palate entry, starting out on rum spice and cinnamon and developing with toffee apples, juicy sultanas, and sweet vanilla. A good dose of warming ginger too. Toasted, spiced finish, fading out on toasted oak, cedar, sweet black coffee, and caramel.