William Heavenhill 12 YO 7th Edition

ReviewsBourbonHeaven HillWilliam Heavenhill

May 12

Over the past few months, my friends in the New Jersey Bourbon and Yacht Club have gotten me on a high-proof Heaven Hill kick - just look at the Old Label Elijah Craig Barrel Proof page for all the evidence you need.

Heaven Hill, somehow, doesn’t get enough credit for its lesser-known releases. True, it’s one of the heritage distilleries, one of the “big boys” of Kentucky, and pumps out enough whiskey to have 1.6 million barrels aging across around 60 warehouses. They put out mainstay brands like Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, Old Fitzgerald, and so many more. They’re the only major whiskey producer to produce every type of American whiskey (and the only one to have a bottled-in-bond product in almost all, if not every, category).

Under the radar, though, Heaven Hill releases a few special bottlings. Some, like the Elijah Craig Single Barrel ‘Grenade’ are regularly available (if at one per person per day). Others, like the Heaven Hill Select Stock, are one-off releases featuring a special quirk (the latest being a barrel proof toasted bourbon).

Then there’s the William Heavenhill. First released in 2008, William Heavenhill - sometimes abbreviated WHH - is a small, small batch release produced at irregular intervals (for example, after the initial 2008 release, another didn’t come out until 2012, and there are still only eight releases in total). This “purple label” is the 7th edition in the Heavenhill line, and it could easily slide into the ECBP Old Label lineup any day of the week. And yet, this is so under the radar that the line isn’t even on Heaven Hill’s website. Not one mention, not one news story on the release.

It’s a bonafide unicorn. When these come up on secondary, you’re looking at a few hundred, minimum. A bottle of the first batch from 2008? Just sold for almost $6,000 on auction. Insanity. Is it that good? For a few hundred, yes. I haven’t had one I didn’t subsequently want a bottle of, and I’m only halfway through the eight batches. I’ve got a little left of last year’s release, the 13-year-old bottled-in-bond “orange label”. The “green label” at 105.4 proof is one of the few older bourbons (15+ years old) I’ve truly loved.

If you’re ever in Bardstown and can stop at the Heaven Hill Gift Shop, do it. 100% guaranteed you’ll come out with at least one bottle worth having. If you find a WHH? Call me, email me, text me - I want it. And if you know me, you know I like to share…

William Heavenhill 12 YO 7th Edition: Specs

Classification: Bourbon

Origin: Heaven Hill Distillery

Mashbill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

Proof: 134.4 (67.2% ABV)

Age: 12 Years Old

Location: Bardstown, Kentucky

William Heavenhill 12 YO 7th Edition Price: LMAO

No Official Website

William Heavenhill 12 YO 7th Edition Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Polished mahogany. Thin rims, droplets decorate glass.

Nose: Smells like Christmas cake - syrupy, rich, indulgent, sherry power - complex and dark and thick. The fruit, spice, oak, and chocolate are all there, and they meld together so harmoniously it’s hard to split them up. No proof heat, just sherry. Oddly, if anything is missing, it’s smoke - no sherry smoke or Highland Park smoke on the nose. Smoke eventually develops on the nose after air.

Palate: Heat comes first, just a split second before all the flavors come barging in: pretzel crusts, spiced red fruits, and that incredibly indulgent dark chocolate and smoke combination when Highland Park meets sherry. The Highland Park character was muted on the nose, but it’s in full force here. Mouthfeel is syrupy, rich, coating, tingly, and full-bodied. If smoked chocolate was a thing, this would be the liquid form. Toasted hazelnuts emerge with a little air, adding even more character.

Finish: Finish is chocolate lava cake with an almost burnt chocolate and red wine sauce, surrounded by caramelized plums, dates, and hazelnuts.

Overall: Absolutely fantastic, even by Highland Park standards. Complexity at every turn, deep, rich flavors and textures - yes, it’s rich enough to give texture! - and a long finish. Everything I want in a sherried Scotch and more.

Final Rating: 9.1

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)