By Richard Thomas
Rating: A
Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char 11 Year Old Wheat Whiskey
(Credit: Heaven Hill)
Among the Kentucky Majors, Heaven Hill has the strongest reputation for wheat whiskey, built on their 2005 introduction of Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey. That was years before anyone even spoke of a craft whiskey sector, which is where most of Heaven Hill’s competition in this department comes from. The only other wheat whiskey brand to come from another Kentucky Major is Woodford Reserve’s wheat whiskey, launched in 2019. One suspects Brown-Forman did that wheat whiskey as much to complete Woodford’s quadrology of the major American Whiskey types (bourbon, rye, malt, wheat) as anything else.
This position at the forefront of the most obscure of those major types might by a small gem in Heaven Hill’s crown, but I think it is one that sparkles brightly. That leading status was first underlined by the 2014 Parker’s Heritage release, still the oldest wheat whiskey released in modern times at 13 years old. Now they have drawn a second line under their leadership, following on their recent string of Heavy Char aged Parker’s Heritage expressions with an 11 year old wheat whiskey.
Wheat whiskey from Heaven Hill follows the “Kentucky Rye” model of being barely wheat whiskey, with just 51% wheat in the mash bill (plus 37% corn and 12% malted barley). The Heavy Char part refers to the new oak barrels used to age the whiskey: they were scorched to the rarely used Char Level 5. Buffalo Trace once did a Level 7 as an experiment, but Level 3 and 4 are the most common. Certainly no distillery has put down as much whiskey, aged for as long, as Heaven Hill has in it’s last few Parker’s Heritage releases. This 15th edition of Parker’s Heritage was also bottled uncut, coming out at 122 proof.
The Whiskey
A pour of this middle-aged wheat whiskey aged in the deep-char barrels comes out with a bright, clear amber look to it. As is my custom with any whiskey over 120 proof, a splash of water went in before I even began nosing.
The nose was a near-perfect balance of ginger, spearmint and honey on the one hand, and oaky spices on the other. I think the scent was too rich and heavy to be described as subtle, but in reality all that really means is you don’t need to chase anything when you nose the whiskey. Instead, this lovely scent comes to you with its hand out, ready to give you a shake.
That balance continues even as the profile expands, becoming a thing of sweet, herbal, earthy and woody beauty. The elements from the nose–sweet honey; spearmint and ginger; oaky allspice–were joined by a current that I think is best described as half-dried, still pretty green tobacco leaf drying in a barn with a damp clay floor. That new note is just too earthy to really be called tobacco, but it certainly has certain aspects of it. The finish closes with the woody spices in ascendance.
I dithered for a few days over whether or not to give this whiskey an A+, and even had to go back for a second round of tasting and note taking. Ultimately, I decided the simple fact that I was dithering had made the decision for me, because such calls should be crystal clear… but that said, it is worth knowing that I struggled with it. As an A-grade whiskey, this one got a 96. It is a absolutely worth the official asking price.
The Price
And on that note, the official price tag on Parker’s Heritage 2021 is $140.
