Heaven Hill Select Stock Bourbon
StraightBourbon.com Second Barrel Pick
62.3% ABV
$75
Website
What the Bottle Says
(Why the bottle? Well, this isn’t mentioned on Heaven Hill’s web-site. The “Select Stock” label is something they’ve used for some one-off barrels (like these) or for limited gift shop releases. This is the 2nd private pick by Straightbourbon.com under this label)
Barrel Serial No: 00004828
Lot ID: 03I24A
Rickhouse/Floor: J-6 | Rack/Tier: 0-0
Special Characteristics: 8 year old Wheated Bourbon Finished in Cognac barrels for 27 months
Bottle 176 of 426
Distillation Date: 9/24/2003
Bottled Date: 5/2/2014
Hand Selected for StraightBourbon.com to raise funds for the Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund and fight against ALS.
What Gary Says
Nose: Damn near the same as the first barrel pick, heavy vanilla, caramel, nice oak with a bit more of the dark cherries, a slight floral note along with some chocolate orange in the back.
Palate: Very similar, warm, thick and sweet, a bit more velvety mouthfeel, caramel fudge with loads of vanilla, black cherry with a little more cinnamon and nutmeg (maybe a hint of clove), freshly cracked pepper.
Finish: Long, slightly drying with cinnamon more prominent.
Comments: Tasting this side by side with the first barrel pick, they are incredibly similar. I had already opened my bottle from the first barrel when the opportunity for this one came around, and I signed up for basically as many as I could get. Spending an extra 8 months in the cognac barrel – I thought there was a chance that it might be more heavy handed. Not the case, at least for my palate. The differences are very subtle and nuanced. Again – not likely you’ll ever see this, but if you do – highly recommend trying it!