Heaven Hill’s Latest Unicorn Whiskey Isn’t a Bourbon
While Heaven Hill’s core lineup is anchored by affordable and readily available bourbons like Elijah Craig and Evan Williams, the Kentucky distillery is no stranger to releasing some highly allocated unicorn whiskeys as well. Many of those fall under the Parker’s Heritage Collection lineup, and more recently the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection. The latest whiskey in the latter series is not a bourbon at all, however, it’s a straight wheat whiskey that was aged for a full 19 years.
Parker’s Heritage Collection is an annual series named after the late Heaven Hill master distiller Parker Beam that includes different styles of whiskey made from various mashbills which are often given unique cask finishes (past releases include heavily charred barrels, orange curacao casks, and last year’s excellent 14-year-old malt whiskey finished in reconstructed cognac casks). Each release in the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, however, focuses on just one of the distillery’s six mashbills that is usually aged for much longer than other Heaven Hill releases but minus the secondary maturation. The first release, which came out in 2022, was a 17-year-old cask-strength bourbon, that included some 19-year-old whiskey in the blend as well.
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This year’s release, as mentioned before, is not a bourbon. Instead, it’s a straight wheat whiskey made from a mashbill of 51 percent wheat, 37 percent corn, and 12 percent malted barley (the same recipe used for Bernheim Original). It was matured for 19 years, making it the oldest wheat whiskey to date from the distillery, and bottled at 100 proof (the lowest in the series so far). For the whiskey nerds who like to get into the nitty gritty, the juice came from 277 barrels distilled in August and September of 2005 that were matured on the fifth and sixth floors of rickhouse Y. “This 19-year-old Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey is especially unique, as a product with this mashbill at this age offers an exceptional depth and complexity that is rarely seen,” said master distiller Conor O’Driscoll in a statement.
We have not had the chance to sample this new whiskey yet, but official tasting notes describe oak, honey, and clove on the nose, followed by more oak, baking spice, and cinnamon graham crackers on the palate and a warm, maple-infused finish. Like previous Heritage Collection releases, the 2025 edition comes in a special box and includes specific information about production date, mashbill, and warehouse location on the label. Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 19-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey will be available starting in March for $300, but expect to pay much more than that once it hits the secondary market. You can find many other bottles from the distillery available to purchase from websites like ReserveBar now.
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