Heaven Hill 20 Year Heritage Collection Corn Whiskey (Spring 2023)

Sweetened corn on the nose with vanilla bean hints. The palate starts with a light body, featuring juicy corn and young oak. It's gracefully smooth and sophisticated, with flavors that are welcoming, accessible, and almost dessert-like. A bit of butteriness and mild spice is noticeable, but the overall cohesion is a testament to the high corn mash bill. This is a whiskey meant for pure sipping and will draw you back for more. An excellent addition to this young series, which has had two releases so far. The author is an online publication.

This is my second time trying the HH20. My initial tasting rated it a 4 out of 5. Today's pour rates a 4.25 out of 5, not considering the price. The 17-year-old was excellent, earning a 4.75 out of 5. With the HH20, the corn doesn't truly stand out as the oak is too dominant. If tasted blind, the mouthfeel and other qualities suggest a significant spirit, but nothing truly distinguishes itself. The 17-year-old hits all the right notes. The 20-year-old is good, but not exceptional. Therefore, based on the cost, my score should be lower.

Swirling in the tasting glass resembles Christmas lights hanging. Light copper color. Nose: bright citrus. Faint smoke. Slight cereal and earthy notes. Palate: sweet, char, marshmallow, there's a citrus sharpness, some pepper on the finish. Chewing releases the EC grain flavor, like cereal, graham cracker. Oily finish, with some pepper, long oaky finish. Adding water reveals more of the oak and rye. Sweet corn and chocolate notes emerge.

Disregarding the cost, this was an excellent pour. It's very easy to drink, with a dessert-like finish. The initial taste is sweet, dominated by grain flavors, which then mellows out nicely. While the whiskey naturally commands a higher price, current costs make it reasonable, leading me to prefer an indulgent single serving at a local bar over purchasing it, with no regrets.

Nose - Quite savory. Naturally, lots of corn and ethanol. Faint vanilla notes. Some oak and caramel are detected. Palate - Some nutty corn notes. Light hints of oak and leather. Towards the end of the palate, some sweet fruit notes appear, like raspberry. Finish - The finish only lightly coats the tongue with hints of cinnamon and oak. Very subtle.

This is a truly unremarkable and just plain average whiskey. The reviewers and publications giving it higher marks are likely influenced by the brands they feature. For those who spend a lot of money based on these reviews, this offers terrible value.