Heaven Hill Select Stock Bourbon
StraightBourbon.com First Barrel Pick
63.8% 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. In fact this may have been the first release under the label, but I’m not positive. It is definitely one of the first!)
Barrel Serial No: 00004826
Lot ID: 03I24A
Rickhouse/Floor: J-6 | Rack/Tier: 0-0
Special Characteristics: 8 year old Wheated Bourbon Finished in Cognac barrels for 19 months
Bottle 249 of 366
Distillation Date: 9/24/2003
Bottled Date: 9/19/2013
Hand Selected for StraightBourbon.com to raise funds for the Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund and fight against ALS.
What Gary Says
Nose: Rich vanilla bean, salted caramel, summer rickhouse oak with nutmeg, cinnamon, dark cherries, chocolate, a hint of clove and a faint hint of black tea.
Palate: Warm, thick sweet caramel/vanilla fudge, black cherry ice cream with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, a bit of freshly cracked pepper.
Finish: Long, slightly drying with floral vanilla and cinnamon notes.
Comments: On the nose this is a tad sharp, but at 63.8% that’s understandable. When this was offered to a select number of active community members on Straightbourbon.com, I was honored to be included – but also a bit nervous. At that time, $75 was a LOT of money for me to spend on a bottle of whiskey. I had tried the Parker’s Heritage Collection 5th edition, which was a rye-mashbill bourbon finished in cognac barrels, and I wasn’t overwhelmed. But, the proceeds were going to a good cause, so I definitely wanted to participate, and I only asked to purchase two of these. DOH! I wish I had gotten more. The cognac finish is subtle, giving it a little bit of black cherry notes, but not overpowering the bourbon. Unfortunately with only 366 bottles (and all going to members of that community, who each pledged NOT to sell them – although a couple have been), your odds of ever seeing this are close to nill. But if you ever happen upon an open bottle at some gathering, I’d make sure I got a taste! As I prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow, giving thanks for having had the opportunity to be part of the amazing Straightbourbon.com community.
I too, was honored to have the opportunity to buy a couple of these bottles. As a rather new (and unproven) member of the StraightBourbon.com community at that time, I had the outrageous good fortune of having not yet pissed off anybody that mattered; and may even have had one or two charter members unknowingly vouch for my trustworthiness. I still have a little left in the last bottle (which I really should drag out and decant into a much smaller receptacle right now!), and I must say this whiskey is among very favorite pours of all time. If you ever are offered a taste, as Gary said; TAKE The OPPORTUNITY!
If there’s only a LITTLE bit left – I offer my services when I’m home at Christmas 😉
OK, Then! I won’t bother to decant it in that case.
I c’nardly wait!