This is a very special aged bourbon, hand-selected from 133 barrels chosen from the third floor of Rickhouse 11. The bourbon was blended and bottled at 120 proof, which is ideal for my palate. Given the extensive aging of 18 years, the most prominent aroma is heavy oak and tobacco. Once the bourbon has a chance to settle a bit in the glass, more delicate notes of vanilla, caramel, and butterscotch emerge. On the palate, I detect a combination of wildflower honey, hazelnut, baking spices, chocolate, leather, tobacco, and a hint of cherry. The dessert-like finish is long, smooth, rich, and chewy. This one truly warrants a slightly higher rating of around 4.6, but the app rounded it down. I strongly recommend this bourbon for special occasions.
Heaven Hill 18 Year Heritage Collection Bourbon (2024)
Whiskey Bourbon Kentucky 18 Year 60% ABV
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About this bottle
The 2024 Heritage Collection release is an annual spring offering where each whiskey highlights one of six traditional American whiskey mash bills from Heaven Hill. This year's selection is an 18-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, featuring a mash bill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye. The batch, derived from 133 barrels filled in December 2005, aged on the third floor of rickhouse 1I. National distribution is scheduled to begin in March 2024, with a suggested retail price of $299.99.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 10 parsed reviews.
Nose: brown sugar, cherry soda, wood. Body: subtle and refined. Taste: brown sugar, cherry, a hint of pepper on the back of the palate that transitions into the lengthy, smoky finish. Absolutely delightful. Finish: extended and smoky. Truly excellent. Note: Half a bottle shared with Don, purchased by him in Kentucky. First tasting 8/30/24. Remarkable, subtle, and easy to drink, yet the flavor is intense. A superb dram.
Smell: Very oak-forward. Leather, tobacco, cedar, cherry, and some vanilla. Taste: Intense cedar and cherry/peach that transitions to vanilla and oak. Spice notes are present throughout the palate. Finish: Long oak and vanilla. This spirit is super easy to drink with a really long finish. Superb. 93/100
Nose: toasted vanilla, spice, cornbread batter. Sugared almonds. Fantastic. Taste: upfront, it has a Dr. Pepper essence, sugared nuts, anise. Mid-palate features peanut and oak, leaning more towards a cola flavor. The finish has brown sugar, but that cola note persists, a long conclusion. Hints of mint, peanut brittle, dry oak.
Nice oak but the proof point is detrimental. Having it alongside three different GTS bottlings certainly didn't help its case. Wonderful mouthfeel but not as intricate as I anticipated. Quite good overall, but perhaps best enjoyed on its own.
It's somewhat comparable to a higher-proof Elijah Craig 18. Features the same nuttiness on the nose, followed by a rich sweetness and some oak.
4 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
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