Review: Heaven Hill Grain to Glass – Straight Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, and Rye
Earlier this year, Heaven Hill dropped three unique expressions that take a step away from the distillery’s existing product line — with new mashbills and an approach that focuses foremost on the underlying grains. The launch of the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass series includes three Kentucky whiskeys (at least to start), including a straight (rye-heavy) bourbon, wheated bourbon, and rye — all over 6 years old. (All three of these samples were distilled in 2017, so they may be up to 7 years old.)
Let’s allow Heaven Hill to give us the deets:
The craft nature of this unique line of Whiskeys starts at the very beginning – the seed. The idea for the line began over 8 years ago as the brainchild of Heaven Hill Executive Chairman Max Shapira. Max’s passion for quality and transparency in whiskey-making lead to a partnership with seed company Beck’s Hybrids – a fellow family-owned and lead operation based in Indiana since 1937. Each year, our Master Distiller works with Beck’s Hybrids to hand select a unique corn seed varietal that has specific attributes desirable for Heaven Hill Grain to Glass, one of which is choosing seed which is best suited for growth in Central Kentucky. The chosen corn seed varietal is then grown by Peterson Farms on one of two sites in Nelson County, one of which is directly across the street from Heaven Hill’s Bardstown facility. Peterson Farms, a multi-generational family farming company, has been entrusted to take the corn seed varietal and cultivate it into healthy grain that goes into the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass mashbills. Since its founding in 1935, Heaven Hill has prided itself on crafting the highest quality Kentucky Whiskeys. Heaven Hill Grain to Glass honors this legacy and the cherished partnerships which were built on handshakes, not contracts.
“Over the course of the nearly 90 years, since the founding of Heaven Hill by my Dad and his brothers, we have always been cognizant of viewing our business from the long term, developing products that fit into this broad vision,” said Heaven Hill Executive Chairman Max Shapira. “Heaven Hill Grain to Glass incorporates everything our long history and heritage brings to our producing what we believe is the most unique, transparent offering that we have brought to market in our entire history. And that is saying a lot.”
The Bourbon and Wheated Bourbon Whiskeys feature mashbills with higher secondary grain content than Heaven Hill’s traditional Bourbon mashbill and Wheated Bourbon mashbill. Bottled at 107 proof, the Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey expression is comprised of 52% corn, 35% rye and 13% malted barley. Bottled at 121 proof, the Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey expression is made with 52% corn, 35% wheat and 13% malted barley. The Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey expression is bottled at 123.2, the only barrel proof expression of the series. It also features a higher rye content than Heaven Hill’s traditional Rye Whiskey mashbill consisting of 63% rye, 24% corn and 13% malted barley. The distillates have been aged over six years at Heaven Hill’s Cox’s Creek rickhouse site. Each product is non-chill filtered and bottled at the ideal proof to allow the characteristics of each unique mashbill to shine.
“Working with Beck’s and Peterson Farms to create Grain to Glass has been an incredible experience,” said Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll. “We’re proud to have crafted an innovative product – taking it from seed to aged liquid – while still remaining true to the values and legacy of Heaven Hill Distillery.”
Well, I’m excited. Let’s see how all that pans out.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Straight Bourbon – 52% corn, 35% rye, 13% malted barley. Quite toasty and oaky, with aromatic overtones of roasted grains, mixed fresh herbs (particularly rosemary), and red apple skins. Some nutty walnut shell elements arise with time in glass, along with a substantial tobacco leaf quality. Quite hearty on the palate, with a substantial peanut quality mixing with apple and spice notes — almost like applesauce. The oak remains strong here, as does the rye influence, eventually giving the whiskey an intensely grassy quality and an herbal pop. There’s plenty of lingering peanut butter pushing well into the finish, along with a healthy grind of black pepper and a reprise of clove-heavy baking spice. Very much a frontier-style whiskey that lets the grain do the talking. 107 proof. B / $100
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon – 52% corn, 35% wheat, 13% malted barley. Quite a different animal, and immediately much more approachable and enticing. The nose features muted spices against an immersive backdrop of honey butter, fresh-cut grass, and cracked black pepper. Increasingly nutty as the whiskey develops in glass, but wholly lacking any overt oakiness. The palate is sweet and, again, loaded with peanut butter and honey notes, with any sense of wood all but hidden away. A light layer of baking spice lingers over a gentle top-note of toasted marshmallow, as a warming heat soothes the throat, evoking notes of hot cocoa. Just a touch of char on the finish. This isn’t a particularly complex bourbon, but it’s a delightful choice for cocktailing — or for deep-diving into what wheated bourbon is all about. I’m not alone here, as this is the only whiskey in the collection that is seeing its price being driven up. 121 proof. A- / $150
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye – 63% rye, 24% corn, 13% malted barley. Take the pungency of the straight bourbon above and double it, and you’re in the realm of this rye. The nose is a pushy powerhouse, intensely herbal and peppery, like walking through a field of just-cut green grass — backed up by a lumberyard that’s been lightly torched around the edges. No surprises on the palate: The impact of the rye is heavy and immediate, and all-encompassing. Many of the bourbon’s same flavor elements appear here but in variations, most of them scorching on the tongue: Rosemary and thyme, burnt pie crust, heavily browned butter, and just a ton of cloves and black pepper to close things out. While the bourbon hints at fruit elements, the rye does not, tamping them down into near-oblivion. It’s as aggressive a rye as you’ll encounter around these parts — and if the idea was to let the grain do all the talking, that has succeeded admirably. 123.2 proof. B / $100
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon
$150
