Heaven Hill Distillery Launches Heaven Hill Grain to Glass
Heaven Hill Distillery has announced the launch of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass, a collection of Kentucky Whiskeys that “highlight Heaven Hill’s long-standing commitment to quality, sustainability, and craft.”
Typically, whiskey is made with low-starch corn because it produces a higher yield. However, waxy (or high-starch) corn results in better alcohol content. To create the Grain to Glass collection, Heaven Hill Distillery partnered with seed company Beck’s Hybrids in Indiana to find the perfect non-GMO corn seed varietal: one with higher-starch content, better yield, and the ability to thrive in the soil of Central Kentucky. It can take years, or even decades, to create these hybrids, selecting the best traits of each corn plant and ensuring the resulting hybrid is ideal for whiskey-making in Kentucky. The chosen corn seed varietal is then grown by Peterson Farms in Nelson County, Kentucky.
The initial launch of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass features three expressions – a Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, and Rye – with new mashbills.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey:
The first edition of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey features a mashbill with higher secondary grain content than Heaven Hill’s traditional Bourbon mashbill. Comprised of 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malted barley, it was aged for six years in rickhouse W3 on the third, fourth, and fifth floors and bottled without chill filtration at 107 proof (53.5% ABV). The corn seed varietal chosen for this release was Beck’s 6158.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Bourbon is described as having aromas of “apples and pears with notes of fresh oak.” The palate exhibits flavors of “plentiful orchard fruit with bright floral and spice notes.” It finishes with “slight oaky sweetness with peppery spice.”
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey:
The first edition of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey features a mashbill with higher secondary grain content than Heaven Hill’s traditional Wheated Bourbon mashbill. Made with 52% corn, 35% wheat, and 13% malted barley, it was aged for six years in rickhouse W3 on the third, fourth, and fifth floors and bottled without chill filtration at 121 proof (60.5% ABV). The corn seed varietal chosen for this release was Beck’s 6158.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon is described as having aromas of “primarily walnuts and almonds with notes of whole wheat bread, cedar and oak.” The palate exhibits flavors of “toasted whole wheat bread and molasses with a pleasantly surprising peppery spice.” It finishes with “notes of pepper slowly fading to reveal oak tannins and an echo of sweet molasses.”
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey:
The first edition of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey features a higher rye content than Heaven Hill’s traditional Rye Whiskey. Created from a mashbill of 63% rye, 24% corn, and 13% malted barley, it was aged for six years in rickhouse W3 on the third, fourth, and fifth floors and bottled without chill filtration at a barrel proof of 123.2 (61.6% ABV). The corn seed varietal chosen for this release was Beck’s 6158.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye is described as having aromas of “dried flowers and grasses and toasted oak.” The palate exhibits “big butterscotch and caramel notes with dense, complex spices and a touch of cigar tobacco.” It finishes with “a big cinnamon note and charred oak with a hint of campfire smoke.”
Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass Bourbon Whiskey, Wheated Bourbon Whiskey, and Rye Whiskey are available now for a suggested retail price of $99.99/700 mL bottle.
Source: Heaven Hill Distillery.