Heaven Hill Distillery announced today the 2021 limited edition release of Parker’s Heritage Collection 11-Year-Old Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey.
This 15th edition ships nationally beginning in September.
This edition continues the series of heavy char releases, exploring how a more intense char allows the liquid to penetrate deeper into each barrel stave and the effects on the resulting flavor, the company says.
The 2021 iteration is comprised of 75 barrels charred for one minute and 30 seconds (Level 5), as opposed to the traditional 40 second char (Level 3) for Heaven Hill.
Wheat Whiskey reached peak maturation after 11 years on the sixth floor of Rickhouse Y.
The heavy char allowed Heaven Hill’s traditional wheat whiskey mashbill of 51% wheat, 37% corn and 12% malted barley to interact more with the oak, extracting a mix of sweetness, filled with hints of molasses and butterscotch, the company says.
This release is only the second time the Wheat Whiskey mashbill featured in the Parker’s Heritage Collection, with the first released in 2014 as an Original Batch Cask Strength.
“The Parker’s Heritage Collection is a testament to the distilling legacy at Heaven Hill Distillery and the detailed attention each step of the process receives,” says Susan Wahl, VP, American Whiskies at Heaven Hill. “We are excited to release the third mashbill in this heavy char series, showcasing the consistency of quality throughout our innovation pipeline. It is in tribute to Parker and his legacy that we continue to support ALS research and patient care with this collection.”
The late Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam, for whom the acclaimed series is named, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2010. The past eight editions from 2013-2020 have raised more than one million dollars toward ALS research and patient care through contributions made by Heaven Hill for each bottle purchased. With the 2021 Heavy Char Wheat Whiskey edition, Heaven Hill will again contribute a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold to the ALS Association.
Packaged in the same upscale 750-ml. bottle as the previous fourteen editions, but with a taupe label, the newest Parker’s Heritage Collection is available in a three-bottle case.
The suggested retail price is $139.99 per 750-ml. bottle.
