Aged musty oak | Butterscotch | Stewed cherries | Raspberry

Cinnamon | Stewed apples | Vanilla bean | Black pepper | Coating mouthfeel

Dry aged oak | Charred oak | Black pepper | Layers of baking spices | Lingering dry charred oak

The Heaven Hill Heritage Collection was launched in 2022. According to the company, “Each spring, this annual, highly limited release will feature some of the distillery’s oldest inventory of aging whiskey, continuing the standard of excellence Heaven Hill has practiced since 1935.” For the latest edition, 277 barrels were produced in August and September of 2005, and were aged on the 5^th and 6^th floors of the company’s rickhouse Y. According to Heaven Hill, this is the oldest wheat whiskey released by the company to date.

Each year’s release highlights one of the distillery’s six mashbills. The 2022 edition was 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye (standard Henry McKenna mashbill), the 2023 edition was 80% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 8% Rye (standard Mellow Corn mashbill), 2024 edition was 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye (standard Elijah Craig mashbill), and the most recent fourth edition is 51% Wheat, 37% Corn, 12% Malted Barley (standard Bernheim mashbill). If you’re a fan of Heaven Hill products, this Heritage Collection is a chance to experience what the company’s standard core mashbills taste like at an ultra-high age.

Two major things stick out about this release: age and proof. There isn’t a 19 year old wheat whiskey on the market, and there likely won’t be one again any time soon. So, to taste Heaven Hill’s wheat whiskey mashbill at this high of age is an amazing treat. Of the Heritage Collection’s four editions, this year’s release is by far the lowest proof, and you’ll definitely notice it. But amazingly, after a few sips, you’ll also notice the complexities of its components and how much black pepper and baking-related spices dominate the sip. High proof combined with high age doesn’t always go hand-in-hand, and while it may work with some mashbills, it might not work with others. This is a case where less proof is more, or at the very least, just right.

There’s little doubt that Heaven Hill’s high age whiskey is limited, and they don’t have massive amounts of it sitting in barrels as they don’t have an imminent need for it. That said, the major negative about this series is the lack of it. Yes, it's a 277 barrel release, but it will likely be just as hard to find as the release that came before it. The price is definitely high, but considering the whiskey’s age and infrequency the market sees an ultra-high aged wheat whiskey; it makes more sense than a whiskey half its age going for a similar amount. For those able to procure a bottle, there is a lot to love about it.