Heaven Hill is an interesting distillery. Most of the products released by them have different brand names. Some of these brands are very popular, like Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald and Evan Williams. Other brands have a much smaller following, like Rittenhouse, Bernheim, and Larceny. They make some higher-end whiskey, Pikesville Rye being a great example, and some more pedestrian whiskey, Mellow Corn being the obvious choice.
Where Heaven Hill really stands out is in the quality of whiskey across the brands. I am a huge fan of the Elijah Craig and Evan Williams products. The interesting part of this quality is that it goes across six different mashbills. Which brings us to today’s review, one of their Kentucky Straight Bourbon mashbills released as part of the Heritage Collection. This collection is meant to showcase the older whiskey that Heaven Hill has matured.
So, let’s take a peek at what this year’s release in the Heritage Collection has to offer.
A sample for this review was generously provided by the distillery. In no way does this impact the results of the review.
Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 2024
Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Price: $300
Notes:
● Aged 18 years
● Distilled, aged and bottled by Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky
● 78% corn, 12% malted barley, 10% rye
● Bottled at 60% ABV (120 proof)
● Made from 133 barrels produced in December 2005, pulled from the third floor of rickhouse 1l
Nose: 90/100
Sweet corn and caramel lead the way. Almond cookies and black pepper follow quickly. Vanilla sits beneath, along with a touch of ethanol. After some time in the glass, black tea can be found at the edges. Toasted marshmallows appear when a few drops of water are added. Not overpowering at all, given the proof.
Palate: 90/100
Wow, just a burst of flavor. Charred oak, vanilla and caramel all vie for attention. A bit of leather and peppery spice provide the foundation. Again, only a bit of warmth.
Finish: 90/100
Long, warm, and dry finish. Dry charred oak and caramel are the stars here. Leather and peppery spice also appear. Really feels like being covered in a warm blanket.
Overall: 90/100
Recommendation: Must try!
This recommendation is purely due to the price tag and availability. Limited editions like this are typically extremely hard to find, and this one is also very expensive. However, if you find this somewhere, split the bottle with a friend. This is one of the best bourbons I have had in a few years! There is plenty of complexity. The almond cookies and black pepper really make this more unique when it comes to traditional bourbons. Surprisingly, the oak influence is not overpowering. Given the age of this dram, the oak is completely complementary.
What did we learn?
The most obvious thing we learned is that Heaven Hill makes some great bourbon. I am not a big fan of hunting for all of the special releases that come out, but this one is worth the adventure, assuming you can afford it. I would say keep an eye out for future Heritage Collection releases, but they typically get marketed fairly heavily, so you will probably hear about it every year. This does make me wish I could get my hands on more releases like this from Heaven Hill.
