Parker's Heritage

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.

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.

The 18th edition of the Parker's Heritage Collection® consists of 14-year-old Malt Whiskey aged in the upper floors of Rickhouses O and Q. Then, barrels that previously held Cognac were reconstructed to include a handful of new heavy toast staves. The Malt Whiskey was then rebarreled in the reconstructed barrels and aged for almost four months. Bottled at 107 proof without chill filtration, the rebarreling transforms the Malt Whiskey's earthy, herbal characteristics into complex notes of molasses, dark chocolate, and dried summer fruit.

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 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."

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.

The 15th Edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection showcases an 11-year-old Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey that’s as bold as it is refined. Distilled with a unique wheat mashbill and aged in heavily charred barrels, it delivers deep layers of oak, toasted caramel, and subtle spice. Bottled at barrel proof, this limited-release whiskey is a must-have for collectors, enthusiasts, and those who appreciate rare, complex expressions. Whether you're savoring it neat or securing it for your top shelf, this release stands as a true testament to Parker’s legacy.

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.

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.

2014

8th Edition

Original Batch
Wheat Whiskey

Proof: 126.8

For the past 9 years, Heaven Hill has released a special edition whiskey in honor of treasured former Master Distiller Parker Beam. This year's Parker's Heritage release is an 8 year old, non-chill filtered whiskey with a mash bill of 65% malted barley and 35% corn.With intense, sweet flavors of caramel popcorn and peanuts, you could say this is a real Cracker Jack of a whiskey! Dried fruits give this big, rich bruiser some needed acidity. As is typical with these high proof releases, it goes down a bit hot. Best enjoyed (on a porch at dusk, optional) with a large rock to take some of the edge off and allow the flavors to mellow in the glass.