Review #135: Heaven Hill Select Stock: 9yr Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey
Review #135: Heaven Hill Select Stock: 9yr Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey
COST: $159 for 750mL bottle
AGE: 9 yrs
MASH BILL: 51% malted barley, 49% corn
PROOF: 119.4
When visiting the Heaven Hill Distillery, one of the many tour options is the “You Do Bourbon” tour. In this tour, you get a tasting of 4 premium barrel proof expressions: Larceny (HH wheated bourbon mashbill), Elijah Craig (HH rye bourbon mashbill), Bernheim (HH wheat whiskey mashbill), and a random other expression. At the end of the tour, you get the option to purchase and hand bottle one of the expressions you tried yourself. I’m excited to see how one of this experimental mashbill is. At 51% malt and 49% corn, I’m really expecting it to be a hybridized ASM and bourbon. Let’s check it out!
This small batch malt whiskey comes from rickhouse MM and is reviewed neat in a Glencairn.
APPEARANCE: Dark red, walnut (1.7), with thick, fast legs.
NOSE: On the nose, this is about the most evenly split marriage of malt whiskey and bourbon. I initially picked up the grainy, slightly earthy malt profile with my nose still very high from the Glencairn. As I bring my nose closer, I get a nice mix of sweetness at first: apple, apricot, pears, and vanilla. Digging a little further, sweet, red cherry peppers, dry corn husks, sweet corn, and a hint of mint (wasn’t expecting this with no rye in the mash bill). I’m infrequently hit with notes of musty grain all the way to bubble gum, more commonly when I take a big inhale. While I mentioned a lot of sweet notes, the malt note persists as a prominent, earthy note alongside all the sweeter notes. This is a wild smelling whiskey!
PALATE: A pleasant mouthfeel akin to a thin simple syrup and a slight ethanol bite on the tip of my tongue. On the palate, caramel apple, roasted sweet corn, sandalwood, and toasted vanilla. This part of the sip is nice, but short and not quite as complex as the nose or finish.
FINISH: A long, unique finish. It’s rather herbal which surprised me based on the nose and palate. Right after the swallow I get some black pepper and cinnamon spice to lead things off, then there’s a solid woody herbal note. Think of chewing on the stems of rosemary, thyme, sage, or some sort of mix of woody herbs like that. I get a touch of green apple, and then there’s a kind of fresh parsley note that persists long after everything else has vanished making this extremely interesting. It’s a bit brash, really, but very unique.
RATING: 5.9/10
VALUE: 2.6/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details. I try to minimize the personal aspect of value in this score i.e. how it makes me feel, what I think of the story, etc.)
OVERALL: A very unique pour! I was expecting a pretty nice balance of single malt whiskey and bourbon with that 51/49 mashbill, and overall it didn’t disappoint, but was far more complex and quirky than I was expecting. The nose and the finish were very complex with the nose being extremely layered. However, the palate was a little bland in comparison. While the “value” rating makes it sound like it’s not worth it, that’s purely from a bang for your buck perspective. In my personal opinion though, this is an awesome value because of how unique it is. My next trip to the Heaven Hill Distillery I plan on doing the “You Do Bourbon” experience and hope I get to try something as unique and experimental as this. Stuff like this is just fun!
1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level
2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage
3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28
4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select
5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated
6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare
7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, WhistlePig PiggyBack SiB, 1792 BiB
8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11
9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ
10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08
RATING: 5.9/10
VALUE: 2.6/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details. I try to minimize the personal aspect of value in this score i.e. how it makes me feel, what I think of the story, etc.)
OVERALL: A very unique pour! I was expecting a pretty nice balance of single malt whiskey and bourbon with that 51/49 mashbill, and overall it didn’t disappoint, but was far more complex and quirky than I was expecting. The nose and the finish were very complex with the nose being extremely layered. However, the palate was a little bland in comparison. While the “value” rating makes it sound like it’s not worth it, that’s purely from a bang for your buck perspective. In my personal opinion though, this is an awesome value because of how unique it is. My next trip to the Heaven Hill Distillery I plan on doing the “You Do Bourbon” experience and hope I get to try something as unique and experimental as this. Stuff like this is just fun!
1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level
2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage
3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28
4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select
5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated
6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare
7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, WhistlePig PiggyBack SiB, 1792 BiB
8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11
9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ
10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08
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