Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey (2021)
Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey (2021) Bottle. Image from Heavenhilldistillery.com.
Parker’s Heritage Collection is, again, bringing the uniqueness back to heritage whiskey. With their 15th release, the third in a row to feature heavy char barrels (also known as char #5), Heaven Hill has produced a wheat whiskey - itself a rarity - that outpaces its previous two heavy char releases with a beautiful flavor profile.
In my recent chat with Bernie Lubbers, the Bonded-in-Bond man, Whiskey Professor, and Brand Ambassador for Heaven Hill, we spoke about the Parker’s Heritage Collection (PHC) and how it got started. Interestingly, Bernie posited that it grew out of Parker Beam’s desire to leave his name on a brand the same way contemporaries Booker Noe, Elmer T. Lee (and Blanton’s, by extension), the Russells, and others had done. I was somewhat surprised by this…getting your name on a whiskey is a dream, a career-capping achievement, and surely Parker would want that - that’s not the part I was surprised by.
What surprised me is that unlike all of those mentioned above - as well as the vast majority of “named” whiskies and bourbons like Stagg, Crow, Handy, and Beam - the PHC doesn’t seek consistency from batch to batch or even a core profile that is identifiably “Parker’s”. Each release is unique. Even those that could be “batched” together, like the heavy char releases, are undeniably different from each other.
Another question I asked Bernie was whether the selection process for PHC releases changed before and after Parker’s passing. The answer was a bit unsure, which in itself was an answer for me. I got the feeling that there are still releases waiting in warehouses that had Parker’s fingerprints on them, just waiting for his successors to bring them to the finish line. I wonder, for example, if Parker said at some point a decade ago “you know what, how would these whiskies taste in a char #5 barrel?”. It would take that long to mature - ultimately longer than Parker would live - but they would be his babies as much as the 24-year and 27-year releases were.
This release, being a wheat whiskey, is already a unicorn. There are so few wheat whiskies - not wheated bourbons, which are arguably only slightly more available - that this would be a sought-after bottle without any name or pageantry behind it. Think of the other wheat whiskies produced at scale: Bernheim (also Heaven Hill), Cedar Ridge, Dry Fly, Middle West Spirits, a Woodford Reserve release…I’m sure I’m missing a few but also sure I’m not missing many. Wheated bourbons like the Weller and Pappy lines, 1792 Sweet Wheat, Larceny, and Old Fitzgerald are similar, but not the same as a true wheat whiskey.
The release is from 75 barrels, 11 years old and aged on the sixth floor of Rickhouse Y. It’s also the second PHC release to be a wheat whiskey, following 2014’s Cask Strength Wheat Whiskey release. At the time of writing, I haven’t had the chance to try the PHC 2014 Wheat Whiskey yet, but there’s plenty of time.
With all of this said, my review of this is relatively tame. It’s just over my ‘very good’ line - for a limited edition bottling, this means I’d be happy with a bottle and would share it, but it’s not to the ‘hunting’ level for me. It’s both unique and confusing - the mouthfeel might be the best part, and the palate, while one note, is a very good one note. The nose is mostly proof, and the finish could be better. It’s not immediately apparent that this is a wheat whiskey at all - a whiskey, yes, but what kind is less certain.
If you’re a PHC completionist, of course you will go after this. If you enjoy cask strength wheat whiskies, it’s a no-brainer. For the common man like I, I can respect the quality and craftsmanship while allowing it to pass for another, more interested buyer.
Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey (2021): Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey
Origin: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 51% Wheat, 37% Corn, 12% Malted Barley
Proof: 122 (61% ABV)
Age: 11 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey (2021) Price: $140 (MSRP)
Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey (2021) Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark black tea. Very thin rims and beady droplets.
Nose: Proof hits first, not too hard, then the grains roll in. Not immediately clear that it’s a wheat whiskey - doesn’t really smell clearly like any particular whiskey at all. A whiskey, yes, but unclear.
Palate: Sweet, candied corn. Grape candies, peppery proof heat, Nerds, waxy corn and sweet tamale filling. The wheat is a secondary player, something hard to achieve with corn as the secondary grain, but the soft winter wheat might’ve been too soft in the end. Mouthfeel is full, velvety, creamy and coating…really delicious. Cinnamon spice drops, but more sweet than spicy. The heavy char, so present in the bourbon and rye, is nowhere to be seen here.
Finish: Medium-length, coating but not overly powerful. Keeps on the sweet profile, making it an enjoyable finish if not a particularly memorable one.
Overall: It’s both very good and confusing. The sweeter, corn-forward taste overwhelms the wheat, and the barrel char is entirely absent. The nose is meh, the palate is great (if one note) with an excellent mouthfeel. All over the place. I’d be happy with a bottle, but won’t hunt one.
Final Rating: 7.1
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 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
