Heaven Hill 17 Year Heritage Collection Barrel Proof Bourbon (Spring 2022)

Tasting: neat, 2 oz pour in Glen cairn with and without 4 drops of water. Nose- Incredibly aromatic. This bourbon blooms from the glass. Oak and vanilla are front and center with a hint of cigar box/tobacco. Palate- cherry comes in where it wasn't as prominent on the nose. An oaky richness lets you know there is some age to this. There are also some dark red berries along with tart apple crisps, some peanut brittle, and a puff of smokiness toward the end leading to the finish. All this sweetness gets balanced by an entire spice rack. This is a pour to sit and savor, dissect it, and ponder it. It really changes like a chameleon. Finish- this goes on for days, and if this bourbon has ONE flaw it would be that it's a bit too lingering in the finish, that it gets a bit drying, tannic, or perhaps gives way to wood overkill at the end. As this bottle opens I am excited to see if this changes. That musty, cigar box, old leather book note though caries through in a very subtle way, and I appreciate that. Overall- This is a tremendously good bourbon. It is rich, flavorful, interestingly complex- especially on the palate. My fear was that 17 years in oak barrels might make it taste like chewing on wet oak- it didn't. I have had both Pappy 15 and 23, and in my opinion the 23 gets soggy, the 15 is just about as far as I really want to go when it comes to old whiskey. Of course those are wheated bourbons, and this is more spicy because of the rye, but I make this comparison only to illustrate that more time is not always necessarily better when talking about bourbon. My overall impressions is that this reminds me of those devilishly good, high octane Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bottles of the past, but with a tad more subtlety.

This is what EC18 should be. Very similar, but much more balanced and not as oak-heavy. There's a lot of oak and tobacco up front but it's well done with a nice balance of just a touch of all spice and vanilla. The oily mouthfeel and finish is where it really shines for me- where the EC18 just got woodier, this continued to evolve for a long time. I'm not into oaky flavor profiles- but this is a perfect balance between the proof, oak, and sweeter flavors trying to peek through. This is a wonderfully balanced bourbon and if you like oak, this is the perfect pour-- it loses points for the price and secondary hype for me. Between this, ec18, and kc18- the KC18 wins hands down (despite also being overpriced to me).

Aroma- big dark fruits is the first thing I’m pick up here on the nose… cherries, plums. The oak profile is awesome and is there a strong tobacco note and touch of leather. All dark notes here… its awesome. Hope the taste follows suit Taste - This is extremely complex. Lots going on here and the finish is extremely long. Every few seconds, a different flavor profile comes forward. Lots of flavors flashing by and as quickly as they make their presence known, they give way to a new flavor. Chocolate, tobacco, red hot candies, frosted cereal, smoke, leather, rye. These all seem to come and go. Definitely smoke and char on the finish. Overall - its very good. Super bold, very complex but massively overpriced.

Remarkable flavors explode out of the bottle with this one. A bright, spicy, warm, and rich paquet of traditional bourbon essences express the joy of a richly aged bourbon. This is so good, that a single sip is enough to appreciate the time and skill that went into this lovely spirit. A generous serving of terroir is apparent, with summer heat, aging wood and venerable spirit all reflecting the place of origin. You can never go wrong with Heaven Hill offerings, but this one goes the extra mile with intense, yet well balanced flavors. Without getting into all of the usual flavor notes, let’s just say that this release is a treasure.

Pretty ridiculously good. Strong, funky, aged oak on the nose with a touch of sweetness. Palate has the perfect amount of oak. Also tobacco and brown sugar. Finish is strong. This one stands out. Some bottles you regret after paying secondary prices, and some bottles you understand the insane markup from the first pour. This bottle is special. Nose 10 / Palate 10 / Finish 9

This is a bold, oak forward bourbon with great complexity and a finish that goes for days. It has plenty of sweetness and a little of that heaven hill nutiness, but don't expect a low key sipping experience. This should be approached with a level of attentiveness and focus to really contemplate the various layers and flavors that come at you from all parts of the palate.