Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye Whiskey Review

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In one of the more surprising releases of 2024, Heaven Hill launched three totally new whiskey recipes. These recipes deviated in important ways from their standard ryed bourbon, wheated bourbon and rye whiskey mash bills. In every single recipe, the flavoring grain had been increased.

Heaven Hill is no stranger to new releases, but whenever a new label drops, we’re essentially getting the same types of whiskies with slightly different ages or proofs. Grain to Glass would be different because this time they went out of their way to create new mash bills. You might be asking why that’s so different from what other distilleries do with experimental mash bills. The answer is because the other distilleries usually do it on a much smaller scale. With HH Grain to Glass, we’re witnessing a project that was created to be much bigger than a “one-off” release.

Grain to Glass was intended for a nationwide release from the start. On top of that, Heaven Hill even splurged for new glassware to bottle the line in. That last part is how we know that a distillery intends to keep a release around for a while – because a new glass bottle design typically runs six figures to design. Long-term sales seems to be the goal with this brand with Heaven Hill announcing this will be a yearly release with more surprises coming.

Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye Whiskey

Strangely, the rye whiskey version of HH G2G (which is what the youths are calling it) is the only one of the three that was bottled at cask strength. No explanation was given as to why, but my guess is that a tasting panel concluded that the two bourbons weren’t as developed as they could have been and that proofing them down went a long way in eliminating the youthfulness in their profiles.

Rye Whiskey is different. It doesn’t need as many years in the barrel to develop the maturity most enthusiasts demand. So while Heaven Hill didn’t publicly comment about this, I think that the rye whiskey is the only one of the three that tasted worthy of releasing at barrel proof.

Based on the distilling equipment available at the New Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, we know that the smallest fermenter holds 124,000 gallons which roughly translates to 400 barrels of distillate able to be filled once it goes through the distilling process. That means that no matter how you slice it, there were at least 400 barrels used for each specific mash bill of HH G2G – and probably more.

One more strange bit of info about Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass release is that they used Chinquapin Oak barrels to age the whiskey in. This information took me by surprise as I listened to this podcast. Knowing this makes me wonder if the flavor profile for G2G is also going to be different based on this different oak species being used.

Beck’s 6158

I grew up in rural Ohio and would commonly see farmers around my community using Beck’s seeds alongside other brands like Pioneer, AgriGold, Cargill and Mycogen. These names would become imprinted in my memories because each field would have a small sign next to the road with the seed company name and sometimes even the seed variety number.

To get nerdy for just a minute, the main thing you want to know about seed numbers (because all companies use them) is that they correspond to specific traits that the seed was created for. Hybrids exist because they were bred for different climates and soil types. Their purpose is to grow as many bushels as possible on a particular plot of land with a secondary purpose of producing kernels with different characteristics (more starch, etc). A quick Google search will actually lead you to some farmer forums where they discuss how many bushels per acre they got using specific seeds. They also list their climate/soil type and other information. Check out these ones to read more about farmer’s discussing Becks’s 6158.

I mention all of this because I felt like it was a little bit of a misunderstanding among enthusiasts about why Heaven Hill partnered with Beck’s. One of the theories I heard was that Beck’s had a corn varietal that produced some kind of superior flavor characteristic for bourbon. Even though HH G2G distillate is going to taste different from their other mash bills, I think there’s something bigger at play – namely the different ratios of flavoring grains (rye and wheat) being used. Heaven Hill’s standard rye whiskey mash bill (rumored to be around 51/35/14) tastes so much like a bourbon because its ratio of rye to corn is so low. The new HH G2G mash bill elevates the amount of rye to 63% while lowering the corn percentage to 24%. This will inevitably create a very different tasting whiskey.

I guess that’s the long way of me saying that it’s odd how Heaven Hill is choosing to highlight Beck’s corn in this mash bill when it’s obvious that the increase of rye grain is most responsible for a change in profile.

Beck’s approaches Heaven Hill – or maybe it’s the other way around

As with any new collaboration in the bourbon industry, one has to wonder which side approached the other first. Many times it’s a bourbon producer that approaches a winery or distillery to collaborate on a finished whiskey product using different barrels. But I haven’t found out if Beck’s (which owns farmland around Heaven Hill) approached Heaven Hill with an idea to use this corn varietal? Or did Heaven Hill approach Beck’s knowing that they were going to create a new label that would use new and unique grains? Message me if you know.

Now that you know a bit more about this rye whiskey, let’s dive in to see how it tastes. Thanks to my friend Mike J, I’m getting a chance to try finally try this. I sampled it neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The rye influence on the nose is definitely a departure from typical Heaven Hill rye whiskies I’ve had before. The caramel and bourbon-forward notes are much less impactful and have been replaced by more brown baking spices and maple syrup notes. The herbal notes (mint, oregano) have also been kicked up several levels as well. This finally smells like a proper rye whiskey, not a barely legal Kentucky rye whiskey. Fruit notes are more plentiful as well with citrus peel and sweetened stone fruit.

Palate: Just like the nose, the palate distances itself from being similar to a bourbon and leans towards its rye grain roots. It’s still mostly baking-spice forward (cinnamon, clove, peppercorns, coriander), but the herbal and botanical notes are much more influence. Along with those notes come some Earl Gray Tea flavors as well as a caramel/syrup sweetness. Fruit notes still revolve around citrus peel (orange, mostly) along with a bit of cherry. I even detect a small amount of raspberry. As for maturity, the oak and tannic notes do exist, but still on a smaller scale than I’d like. But for ~6 years old, I’ll give it credit that there’s more than I thought there would be. Of note, I do still find a bit of the classic “nutty” Heaven Hill note, which I believe hints to the fact that this was still made with the traditional Heaven Hill jug yeast.

Finish: I feel like I have to roll back my earlier criticism of the lack of oak in this whiskey. The finish seems to end on a note where there is a large amount of toasted oak (could that be the Chinquapin barrels?) and some seasoned oak. This is followed by more caramel/nutty sweetness (Payday candy bar?) and a touch of vanilla. Baking spices and some leftover herbal notes remind you that this is a whiskey, but they draw much less attention to themselves at the end.

Score: 7.6/10

This is a fantastic introduction to a new rye whiskey mash bill from Heaven Hill. It’s an obvious improvement from their standard rye whiskey recipe because it more closely mimics what rye whiskies should taste like while decreasing the amount it tastes like a bourbon. If you normally like herbal and botanical notes, you’ll really appreciate what they’ve created here.

Final Thoughts

The one thing about the new Heaven Hill Grain to Glass that keeps people from buying it is the price. While I’ve seen some places selling bottles for $85 (on sale), the standard price is around $100. For a ~6-year-old whiskey, that’s simply too much. The rye whiskey is the better value of the three recipes because it’s sold at barrel proof, but it’s still hard to recommend the average enthusiast to purchase it.

Since HH G2G is going to be an annual release with more variety in mash bills, grains and even oak types (Connor O’Driscoll expands on them at the 56 minute mark on that podcast link) then I would urge those with FOMO to cool their jets if they think they need to rush out and buy all of them. My advice is to wait for ones that specifically appeal to you. All things considered, this is an exciting time for Heaven Hill fans and fans of American whiskey in general. I can’t wait to see what’s next.