Heaven Hill Announces 13th Edition of Parker's Heritage

Heaven Hill has announced the 2019 limited edition release of Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Rye Whiskey that will ship nationally in September.

This new edition uses Heaven Hill’s traditional Rye Whiskey mashbill (51% Rye35% Corn14% Malted Barley) and is aged in level 5 charred barrels for eight years and nine months on the seventh floor of Rickhouse Y. This is the first I've ever heard of a level 5 char and Heaven Hill says that level 5 charred barrels are charred 50 seconds longer than the their traditional level 3 barrels. For context, a level 3 barrel is usually charred for 35 seconds so this puts the level 5 at an estimated 85 seconds... or 30 seconds longer than a traditional number 4. I realize this is more than anyone ever cared about char so I'll leave this link here that explains everything in plain english. 

Parker's Heritage comes in at 105 proof (52.5% abv) and is non-chill filtered to preserve all the flavor compounds. It is named after the late Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam, who was diagnosed with ALS (commonly referred to as Lou Gherig's disease) in 2010. Heaven Hill will continue this legacy and contribute a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold to the ALS Association. 

Susan Wahl, Group Product Director at Heaven Hill Distillery states: 

As the second largest holder of aging American Whiskey, Heaven Hill Distillery has the privilege of showcasing the quality and range of our distilling craft through the Parker’s Heritage Collection. We continue this series with thoughtful offerings that showcase the care and attention to detail for which Heaven Hill Distillery is known. Parker was involved in the development of this bottling over eight years ago and will continue to leave his mark on many future bottlings. It is in tribute to Parker and his legacy that we continue to support ALS research and patient care with this series.

Our Take

Heaven Hill has announced this will ship nationally so it should come to Ohio. No price was given, but this sounds like a really unique whiskey. It also doesn't hurt that proceeds benefit the ALS Association. The interesting thing about this is the char level. As I mentioned, I've never heard of a level 5, although doing research, I learned it can go up to as high as #7, so I would expect the profile to be heavy with smoke and spices. This is one we'll be keeping our eye on to add to the collection. 

Source: Heaven Hill