Heaven Hill has many brands under its umbrella, from Evan Williams to Elijah Craig to Old Fitzgerald, but of all of these, it’s the distillery’s own name that has produced many of its most exciting bottlings—like the newly launched Heaven Hill Grain to Glass collection.
Launching with a trio of whiskeys featuring three new mash varieties, the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass collection includes bourbon, wheated bourbon and rye.
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, with an alcohol content of 107 degrees, is a blend of 52% corn, 35% rye and 13% malted barley.
Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey has the same mash consistency as straight bourbon, but is bottled at 121 proof.
Despite the considerably higher ABVs of the bourbons, Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is the only barrel proof expression in the group at a fiery 123.2 proof. It also has a higher rye content than Heaven Hill's traditional rye whiskey, consisting of 63% rye, 24% corn, and 13% malted barley.
All three wines were aged at least six years at the Cox's Creek wharf site in Heaven Hill and are not chill-filtered.
The idea took eight years. To get started, the Kentucky whiskey makers partnered with seed company Beck’s Hybrids. Each year, the master distiller works with the Indiana-based operation to hand-select a unique corn seed variety that’s ideal for the Grain to Glass collection. From there, the selected seed variety is grown by Peterson Farms on two sites in Nelson County, one of which is directly across from Heaven Hill’s Bardstown, KY facility. Peterson Farms then releases the healthy grains that go into Heaven Hill Grain to Glass mash bills.
“Over the nearly 90 years since Heaven Hill was founded by my father and his brothers, we have always been conscious of taking the long view of our business and developing products that fit that broad vision,” says Max Shapira, chairman of the board of Heaven Hill. “Heaven Hill Grain to Glass embodies everything that our long history and heritage has brought to the table to produce what we believe is the most unique and transparent product we have ever brought to market in our entire history. And that says a lot.”
“Working with Beck’s and Peterson Farms to create Grain to Glass has been an incredible experience,” says Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll. “We are proud to deliver an innovative product from seed to matured liquid, while staying true to the values and heritage of Heaven Hill Distillery.”
The labels include details of the specific corn seed variety, mash bill, and years of distillation and release. Additionally, the label artwork includes a plan of the Bernheim Distillery where the whiskeys are distilled.
Related: The Best Bourbons, Old Fashioned, Tasted and Reviewed