Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Rye
Thanks to The Whiskey Ward NYC for the sample!
I’ll leave the introduction of Parker Beam and the Parker’s Heritage Collection to another post - maybe the Promise of Hope edition. For now, let’s take a look at the 13th edition in the collection, an 8-year-old rye aged in #5 char barrels.
When cooperages or distilleries char barrels, generally they use a char #3 or a char #4 (also called an alligator char for the similarity the inside bears to scaly skin after it’s charred). There are exceptions on both ends, some using as low as #2 char, and then this release, using a char #5. During charring, the barrel is quite literally lit on fire on the inside, whether by a blowtorch-type device or direct firing. After a predetermined length of time (corresponding to char levels), the fire is doused and the barrel is that much closer to being ready for whiskey.
There’s a reason that most whiskey won’t see more than a char #4, equating to about 55 seconds of fire. Once you get to a char #5, you’re basically hoping the staves you’ve chosen are solid enough to not disintegrate - there is no char #6 as far as I’m aware. Of course, a longer char means deeper penetration of flame, more breaking down of lignins and cellulose molecules into compounds that produce tasty bourbon (vanillins, lactones, and more). The wood is also “opened” more - heat equals expansion, and a longer char means the liquid will have stronger and deeper interactions with the wood.
To be honest, I’m not sold on the whole char #5 quirk. I get what happens with it, I get the science, but I don’t think it’s been perfected yet. The Heavy Char Bourbon, the 14th edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection and the 2020 follow up to this 2019 release, was better-suited, but this pour ends up a bit disjointed. Part of the problem, if you can call it that, is that Heaven Hill uses a barely-legal rye (51% rye). Couple that with a super charred barrel and the rye simply gets lost in the shuffle.
I came away thinking that if Heaven Hill used a whiskey instead of a rye, it would have been a better pairing. It’s a small distinction, but for me as a whiskey drinker if the bottle says ‘rye’ it automatically sets me up to expect some kind of rye flavor. It’s there - if barely - but as my notes attest I only knew this was the rye because I knew the rye was in the lineup. The char is so powerful that it obliterates the rye nuances, turning it into a pretzel-fest. Not a bad flavor, but an alkaline (read: bitter) one I don’t enjoy in my whiskey.
Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Rye: Specs
Classification: Rye, Aged in Char #5 Barrels
Origin: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 51% Rye, 35% Corn, 14% Malted Barley
Proof: 105 (52.5% ABV)
Age: 8 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Rye Price: $150
Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Rye Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Brûlée oranges. Thin rims and quick droplet legs.
Nose: Lots of char and tobacco, like a just-put-out wood fire. Super oaky, not much rye. Some herbal notes in the way way back. Tasting this blind, pretty sure I knew it was the Parker’s before I even tasted it.
Palate: There’s the rye! But it’s still the oak show. Tons of char, pretzel crusts, savory baked goods just caught on the edges. Almost tastes more like a high-rye bourbon than a rye. Even the sweeter rye notes that develop feel more corn-y than rye-forward. Mouthfeel is viscous, toasty, with a bit of proof heat and tons of creamy oak.
Finish: Finish sticks around the palate, tilting more towards the rye side in an especially alkaline way. Think salted pretzel crusts fresh out of the lye water.
Overall: A frustrating pour, to be honest. If you told me this was a heavily charred WHISKEY, not a RYE, I would have rated this in the mid-6 range, but as a rye this just doesn’t muster up. The oak, char, and tobacco are totally dominant, with just the barest hint of rye there to say hello.
Final Rating: 5.8
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, 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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