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It’s hard to believe this is the fourth year of the annual “Heaven Hill Heritage Collection” program. This line was developed to showcase the six Heaven Hill mash bills (ryed bourbon, wheated bourbon, corn whiskey, rye whiskey, wheat whiskey and malt whiskey) at very high age statements. It should come as no surprise that these releases do not come cheap. This year’s 19-year-old wheat whiskey is proof of that. Finding a bottle at retail will set you back $300.
I was told by a Heaven Hill tour guide that plan for their Heritage Collection is to release a bourbon every other year (which would be even-numbered years) and the odd numbered years would take turns bottling one of their four straight whiskies. So far what he said has come true. I guess we’ll have to wait until 2027 to get a teenage Pikesville rye whiskey. Darn.
The oldest wheat whiskey ever released
Wheat Whiskey is not a popular whiskey for distilleries to make. MGP started to distill their version in 2013 and Woodford Reserve released theirs in 2019. We learned that Buffalo Trace had made some back around 2007-2010 which was part of the blend in last year’s Weller Millennium. Even smaller distilleries like New Riff and Tom’s Foolery have tried their luck without much fanfare. But Heaven Hill kind of owns the wheat whiskey market, so it makes sense that they would come out with one of the oldest.
For those of you who don’t already know, Heaven Hill’s wheat whiskey mash bill is 51% Wheat, 37% Corn and 12% Malted Barley. Most enthusiasts have typically experienced it in Bernheim Wheat Whiskey and the Barrel Proof version. Both are said to be around 7 years old. Other than that, the only time I’ve seen it by itself has been in a Parker’s Heritage release wearing an 11-year-old age statement (twice). That’s why it’s kind of wild to see that they let 277 barrels continue to age up until this point.
The stats we know for sure is that the barrels used in this batch were distilled between August and September, 2005. They were aged on Floors 5 and 6 of Heaven Hill’s Rickhouse Y. This rickhouse was one of Parker Beam’s favorites (along with Deatsville warehouses) and the one barrel pick groups used to go taste through barrels inside of. If you’re wondering where it is, it’s across the street and to the left of the Visitor’s Center entrance.
That’s all the more information I’ve heard about this release. Taking some samples of various online reviews shows me that reviewers have generally disliked it. I have a strange love/hate relationship with the stuff myself, but maybe there’s something special here, so let’s take a closer look. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: I don’t know what I was expecting when I walked into this one, but it probably wasn’t salted caramel on the nose. I find that and cinnamon raisin toast right off the bat. There is some chocolate, heavy cream, black cherries and a bit of cornbread. One interesting thing is just how muted the baking spices are. It doesn’t smell like it’s been totally covered up, just hidden a bit. The nose smells old in the sense that the oak is pretty pungent and antiqued. I even find some elements of toasted oak underneath that. I’m immediately impressed. This seems better to me than the nose on last year’s 18-year old bourbon.
Palate: I can’t get over how silky the mouthfeel is. Each sip feels “luxurious” if that even makes sense. Aside from the mouthfeel, I find great flavors throughout. The muted baking spices on the nose awake on the tongue. There is cinnamon powder, cloves, peppercorns, chili powder and spiced cherries. The oak is also pervasive with seasoned, musty and spice varieties. I can also pick out buttery croissants, apricot jam and sweetened tea. Speaking of sweetened, this dram leans more towards sweets than oak, which is great for the balance of this 19-year-old batch. I can find toffee and vanilla flan throughout.
Finish: A mixture of sweet and spicy notes descends upon my tongue at the end. My palate gets somewhat dried out with some barrel char, dry oak and cacao nibs. It’s not close to being ruined because the tannins are kept in check by fruit preserves and toffee. There are lingering baking spice notes like cinnamon, clove and allspice to keep your tastebuds firing on all cylinders long after the sip is complete.
Score: 8.5/10
The 2025 version of Heaven Hill’s Heritage Collection is far better than I ever expected. I’ll be honest, I’ve heard some not-so-great things about this release and I was apprehensive about trying it. I’ve also never claimed to be be a fan of Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon or their wheat whiskey – but this was a wholly different experience.
One of the main things I have disliked about wheat whiskies in the past have been the overly grassy/earthy notes (Weird, right? You’d think that was a rye whiskey trait) and sometimes the petrochemical notes you can find. But stick these barrels in the warehouse and wait enough years and those notes seem to have disappeared leaving a liquid that’s undeniably silky and smooth with lots of flavor.
A spokesperson for Tom’s Foolery once told me that they had a wheat whiskey that was coming up on 10 years in the barrel and it continued to improve every year. They said that whiskies with wheat in them were the perfect candidates for long-term aging projects. I can see their point now.
Final Thoughts
I can’t force anyone who’s already made up their mind about this whiskey to change it, but I can say that if you’re even remotely interested in one of the oldest wheat whiskies available, that you do yourself a favor and find one to taste immediately. I took the chance and was immediately impressed and you might be, too. Damn, this makes two wheat whiskies I’ve been impressed with this year. What’s the world coming to?