15th edition of the annual ultra-premium release is an 11-Year-Old Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey, continues the distillery’s commitment to support ALS research and patient care
Heaven Hill Distillery announced today the 2021 limited edition release of Parker’s Heritage Collection 11-Year-Old Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey. The 15th edition will ship nationally beginning in September at an SRP of $139.99.
This edition continues the award-winning series of heavy char releases, exploring how a more intense char allows the liquid to penetrate deeper into each barrel stave and the effects on the resulting flavor. Comprised of 75 barrels charred for one minute and 30 seconds (Level 5), as opposed to the traditional 40 second char (Level 3) for Heaven Hill, the Wheat Whiskey reached peak maturation after 11 years on the sixth floor of Rickhouse Y. The heavy char allowed Heaven Hill’s traditional Wheat Whiskey mashbill of 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley to interact more with the oak, extracting a mix of sweetness, filled with hints of molasses and butterscotch. This release is only the second time the Wheat Whiskey mashbill has been featured in the Parker’s Heritage Collection, with the first released in 2014 as an Original Batch Cask Strength.
The third heavy char edition of the series advances the study of premium innovation at Heaven Hill Distillery through the Parker’s Heritage Collection. The 14th edition featured Heaven Hill’s traditional Bourbon mashbill aged in a heavy char for ten years, garnering “Best Small Batch Bourbon” in the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 2021 ASCOT Awards, as well as receiving the “Innovation Star” from the SIP Awards. The 13th edition featured Heaven Hill’s traditional Rye Whiskey Mashbill aged in heavy char barrels for eight years and was named a “Top 100 Spirit” rated at 96 points from 2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Bottled at 122 proof (62% abv) and non-chill filtered to preserve all the flavor compounds, this Whiskey showcases the broad range of Heaven Hill Distillery’s 1.9 million barrels of aging inventory.
“The Parker’s Heritage Collection is a testament to the distilling legacy at Heaven Hill Distillery and the detailed attention each step of the process receives,” said Susan Wahl, Vice President, American Whiskies at Heaven Hill. “We are excited to release the third mashbill in this heavy char series, showcasing the consistency of quality throughout our innovation pipeline. It is in tribute to Parker and his legacy that we continue to support ALS research and patient care with this collection.”
The late Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam, for whom the acclaimed series is named, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2010. The past eight editions from 2013-2020, including the “Promise of Hope” Bourbon, the “Original Batch” Straight Wheat Whiskey, the Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey, the 24-Year-Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon, the 11-Year-Old Single Barrel, Orange Curaçao-finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Heavy Char Rye Whiskey, and Heavy Char Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, respectively, have raised more than one million dollars toward ALS research and patient care through contributions made by Heaven Hill for each bottle purchased. With the 2021 Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey edition, Heaven Hill will again contribute a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold to the ALS Association.
Packaged in the same upscale 750ml bottle as the previous fourteen editions, but with a taupe label, the newest Parker’s Heritage Collection is available in a three-bottle case and will be available at retail starting in September. With previous releases having won multiple awards from Whisky Advocate magazine, Whisky Magazine and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the series stands as some of the most critically lauded American Whiskeys in recent memory. Past bottlings have won awards ranging from “Best North American Whiskey” to “American Whiskey of the Year” to “Best of Show, Brown Spirits.”
