Parker’s Heritage Collection 24 Year Bottled in Bond

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 Collection 24 year Bottled in Bond bourbon was released in September of 2016 as the 10th Edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection series. This bourbon was created from a mash bill consisting of 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, and 10% Rye. It was aged for 24 years at Heaven Hill Distillery, and survived the massive fire that occurred there in 1996. This whiskey, being bottled in bond, sits at 100 proof, and was sold at an MSRP of $250.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Copper

Nose

The nose is EXTREMELY rich and deep. I get massive notes of tootsie roll, cherry, a hint of cola, dark oak, a bit of ethanol, brûlée’d oranges, and caramel.

Palate

The body is medium, with big notes of cherry, oak spice, spiced oranges, barrel char, and baking spices. There is a lot of oak going on, and it is a tad overwhelming but it also helps bring out the sweeter flavors.

Finish

The finish is medium-long and coats the entire palate. Cherries and brûlée’d oranges coat the mid-palate, while barrel char sits on the back palate and oak spice touches the front.

In closing

This is pretty darn good. I thought the sweeter flavors really saved it, as the spicier and acrid notes of the barrel char and oak really took a large presence. The nose was incredible, the palate was pretty darn good, and the finish left a little to be wanted due to the in-your-face presence of the char and oak spice. I feel like this is a great one to try, but I am not sure I’d spend $250 on it.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Heaven Hill Distillery. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.