William Heavenhill Bourbon (5th Edition)

3rd floor, Rickhouse U, Barrel #2 (barreled 2-6-03, dumped 4-20-17) This at firs hit like you would expect a 115 proof version of Elijah Craig would do. Big cherry and lots of wood. At 14 years it’s definitely more of a musty wood but we’ll balanced with vanilla frosting, a bit of heat and notes of leather and cedar. There’s more but if you’ve had an EXBP you know what to look for. No surprises but just a bit more varnish and old wood after an additional 2 years. Chewy. Not viscous per say but the flavors are so dense that you go through 2-3 plates as you actually chew on it and move it around your mouth. At first it’s musty old oak and allspice, then more clove and fruit, then the vanilla frosting and pecans, then just flame broiled sugar and flan before a very long wave of old oak, leather, dried figs, cherries, maybe even a bit of citrus (sort of a bitter blood orange thing) and tobacco. This is like an ECBP with softer edges and yet somehow more complexity. It seemed a bit more fruit forward than woody but it carries its age well. How they decide which mashbills, proofs and ages will earn the label I do not know but I would like to have been part of the barrel sampling journey along the way to know exactly when to dump this one.

The nose starts with a rich burst of dry oak, floral rye spice, a touch of cherry syrup, as smooth notes of vanilla and brown sugar round it all out. It is quite intoxicating to keep visiting as it quickly mellows out, offering you a deeper exploration of what it has to offer. The palate is chewy and dry, filling the mouth with dry oak and intense rye spice, giving a very peppery feel. Touches of cinnamon adds to the intensity as it mixes with vanilla, creating quite the bold experience. It calms down gradually, making the spice more pleasing while letting you explore the creamier notes more. It manages to be smooth and spicy at the same time, in a nuanced way. The finish is medium long and tingly, with a lingering creaminess that lingers on the tongue. Incredible if enjoyed slowly, allowing for appreciation for the depth of flavors.

Tasting: 1.5 oz. (thanks to my wife not liking hers, thus doubling mine) pour in sampling glen cairn glass at Heaven Hill tasting event. First neat, then with 2 drops. Nose (4.0): Butterscotch, leather and tobacco. This is a bourbony traditional nose that was the star of this sample. Palate (3.5) Caramel and oak dominate with some smokiness on the back palate. This is a sweeter tasting bourbon that got a bit dry for me Finish (3.5) Not bad. More oak and a lingering pecan comes in at the end. Overall: I liked the ECBP A119 along with this tasting better. At 249/bottle I could not pull the trigger. It is a good bourbon, not a great one in my opinion.

I was not expecting to receive this treasure o. The Heaven Hill tasting event, but I’m glad I did. Not a favorite, but well worth the dram. Butterscotch and toffee on the nose, brown sugar, dark chocolate on the mouth, oily, mellow, melted dark chocolate finish.

Was expecting more for a bottle that sells at $250. Strong burn that wasn’t cut well with water. Decent flavors of oak and smoke but overshadowed with too much spice. Not worth the cost of a bottle in the least.

Sampled at the Heaven Hill Connoisseur tasting. Utterly unremarkable based on the age and price. Only slightly better than the EC Barrel Proof I have. I could not justify spending $249.99 on this whatsoever.