Heaven Hill Distillery is proud to announce the 2020 limited edition release of Parker’s Heritage Collection 10 Year Old Heavy Char Bourbon.
Parker’s Heritage Collection is a hallmark lineup of Heaven Hill Distillery’s exploration in premium innovation. The 14th edition continues the interaction of barrel char across varying mashbills. The Bourbon is aged in “Level 5” heavy char barrels, as opposed to our customary Level 3, and the resulting flavors carry intensified notes of our traditional Bourbon. Consisting of 102 barrels aged on the sixth floor of rickhouse Y for 10 years, the heavy char brings forth a caramel and maple sweetness, as well as slight smokiness developed after 40 Kentucky seasons in the barrel.
The second heavy char edition of the series advances the study of how a more intense char allows the liquid to penetrate deeper into each barrel stave and the effects on the resulting flavor. Bottled at 120 proof (60% abv) and non-chill filtered to preserve all the flavor compounds, this Bourbon showcases the broad range of Heaven Hill Distillery’s 1.8 million barrels of aging inventory.
“The Parker’s Heritage Collection is a testament to the attention to detail crafted throughout Heaven Hill’s distilling legacy,” said Susan Wahl, Vice President, American Whiskeys at Heaven Hill Distillery. “It is an honor to continue Parker’s interest in innovation through this series and showcase the variety of Heaven Hill Distillery’s portfolio. It is in tribute to Parker and his legacy that we continue to support ALS research and patient care with this series.”
The late Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam, for whom the acclaimed series is named, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2010. The past seven editions from 2013-2019, including the “Promise of Hope” Bourbon, the “Original Batch” Straight Wheat Whiskey, the Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey, the 24-Year-Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon, the 11-Year-Old Single Barrel, Orange Curaçao-finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and Heavy Char Rye Whiskey, respectively, have raised more than one million dollars toward ALS research and patient care through contributions made by Heaven Hill for each bottle purchased. With the 2020 Heavy Char Bourbon edition, Heaven Hill will again contribute a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold to the ALS Association.
Packaged in the same upscale 750ml bottle as the previous thirteen editions, but with a navy blue label, the newest Parker’s Heritage Collection is available in a three-bottle case and will be available at retail starting in October. With previous releases having won multiple awards from Whisky Advocate magazine, Whisky Magazine and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the series stands as some of the most critically lauded American Whiskeys in recent memory. Past bottlings have won awards ranging from “Best North American Whiskey” to “American Whiskey of the Year” to “Best of Show, Brown Spirits.”
Chris’s Review
8.3
Smell:
Bold and hard vanilla, caramel. Tingle on the nose with ethanol.
Taste:
Charred oak with baking flour and caramel syrup with subtle banana hidden away. Pepper teases but not upfront.
Finish: Hot 6
Full mouth feel with sweet spice and caramel still lingering. Some hints of sweet fruit.
Notes:
Pleasantly surprised, kind of. I expect Heaven Hill to put out good bourbons given all their history. The heavy-char is not overdone and double-oaked options for other brands are slowing coming out. This one is almost sneaky. Very sweet almost makes you wonder if its not a wheat recipe. I had to double check the proof level because it was so smooth. 10 year? I would of guessed older.
8 Smell
9 Taste
8 Finish
Jon’s Review
Still drinking it…