A little background

The Parker’s Heritage Collection is produced by Heaven Hill as an honorarium to Parker Beam. In 1975, Beam continued the tradition when he was named the 6th generation Master Distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery. Parker Beam was diagnosed with ALS in 2010 and passed away after a 7-year battle with the disease.

Parker’s Heritage 10-Year-Old Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is the 17th edition of the annual ultra-premium release from Heaven Hill. This whiskey is made from the traditional Heaven Hill Rye Whiskey Mash bill consisting of 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley.

According to Heaven Hill, The 17^th edition is comprised of 10-year-old Rye Whiskey that was barreled in August, October, or December of 2012. The barrels were aged on the first floors of Rickhouses H1 and H2, the fifth floor of Rickhouse FF, the third and seventh floors of Rickhouse BB, and the second floor of Rickhouse DD. At bottling, the liquid was non-chill filtered to preserve the natural flavors of the aging process.

2023 Parker’s Heritage 10-Year-Old Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is bottled at 128.8 Proof and has a retail price of $185 USD.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Burnish

Nose

Lemon-lime citrus, burnt caramel, tea, and a touch of marshmallow.

Palate

Hershey’s syrup, orange, black tea, dates, chocolate malt, rye spice, and tannic oak.

Finish

Bitter coffee, chocolate malt, pecans, dry oak.

In closing

Unsurprisingly, Heaven Hill has released yet another unique and captivating Parker’s Heritage Collection bottle. The 17th edition of 10-Year-Old Cask Strength Rye Whiskey has a fantastic nose where the alcohol is remarkably well integrated. The palate is an explosion of rich flavors followed by a long and complex finish. There are strong chocolate malt notes throughout that I found to be exceptionally delightful. This is hands down a fantastic Rye whiskey and a perfect ode to the late Parker Beam.

*The whiskey used for this review was provided by Heaven Hill Distillery at no cost with no strings attached. We thank them for the opportunity to try this new release.