Parker’s Heritage 8 year Old Straight Malt Whiskey
Parker’s Heritage 8 Year Old Straight Malt Whiskey is the 9th release (2015) in Heaven Hill’s celebrated series, and the first to be a malt whiskey. It’s not 100% malt - instead it’s 65% malted barley and 35% corn - and it’s not meant to be like a single malt either.
The Parker’s Heritage Collection is brilliant, experimental (for better and worse), and above all defies absolute categorization. It’s not like Heaven Hill is the surprising choice for which distillery would put out a straight malt whiskey, especially considering they already make at least one of every type of American whiskey. The Parker Beams of the world were never afraid to take a stab at something if it could be fantastic.
So of the releases up to that point and since, where does this release stand among the Parker’s Heritage line?
Well, in some ways, this is incredibly representative of the whole line. The nose begins with what I can only describe as a “what is that?” scent - not bad, just…I don’t know…different. In drinking plenty of bourbon but also plenty of malt, there are things I tend to expect of both, and both are here. The weirdness is that both profiles are there at once.
That sense of “this isn’t like something I’ve had before” is, in my opinion, indicative of the best of this line. It’s not perfect (feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately…) but it is intriguing, and in many ways that’s more interesting to me. The creaminess and mouthfeel from the malt also carries chocolatey goodness while the corn adds…well, I’m not sure what it adds. Maybe there’s corn because it’s from Kentucky and from Heaven Hill. I know that’s simplistic, but I just can’t say the corn adds anything noticeable to the whole story.
In this pour’s favor? Despite the lack of corn where I’m searching for some, the whiskey is damn good. Not worth the secondary price it’s now commanding, but damn good. If you find it at around $200, maybe $250, take a long think, but don’t go past that.
Parker’s Heritage 8 Year Old Straight Malt Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey
Origin: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 65% Malted Barley, 35% Corn
Proof: 108 (54% ABV)
Age: 8 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Parker’s Heritage 8 Year Old Straight Malt Whiskey Price: $100 (MSRP, but closer to the $400-$500 level on secondary)
Parker’s Heritage 8 Year Old Straight Malt Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Grade A maple syrup. Thin rims, slow droplet legs.
Nose: Very different - what is that? Hickory wood, smokiness, popped and roasted grain. Some proof heat, unsweetened cocoa. Getting multiple grain profiles, kind of confusing, yet intriguing.
Palate: Cocoa dusted dark red fruits, solid proof tingling the whole tongue. Oaky backbone that turns creamy. It’s chocolatey without being chocolatey. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, coating, and astringent. So much cocoa with a proof and pepper heat that keeps building.
Finish: All dark chocolate here with flakes of dried red fruits and sea salt. Chocolate-covered graham crackers on a medium-to-long finish.
Overall: The nose tells you this will be different, and it is. The cocoa notes are complex and evolving, with buttery crackers and baking spices building in the back. I want to keep going back - there’s a new flavor on every sip.
Final Rating: 7.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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