Sneak Peek: Parker’s Heritage Barrel Finished Bourbon Review (2018)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Parker’s Heritage Orange Curacao Barrel Finish
(Credit: Heaven Hill)

Among the staples of the “Bourbon’s Big Autumn,” or the batch of much anticipated releases that come out every Fall, is Parker’s Heritage from Heaven Hill. This year will see the twelfth installment in a line that has had some memorable releases and has always been interesting.

On paper, this year’s release will probably come across to many observers as interesting, but it should be seen as more memorable than interesting in my opinion. Heaven Hill took a seven year old bourbon, aged on the upper floors of rickhouse Q, and given it a four month orange curacao barrel finish. This harkens back to 2001, when a 10 year old was given a Cognac finish. The bourbon was then bottled at 110 proof (55%), not quite high octane, but above the 100 proof, bottled in bond mark that serves as the ceiling for everyday neat sipping whiskey.

The Bourbon
The nose shows the barrel finishing straight off, with a creamy-yet-zesty orange scent. That main current of citrus is underscored by a mix of cake spices, mint and vanilla, notes that remind you that this is indeed a bourbon.

A couple of sips showed the orange aspect lost its creaminess, as the mint note turned peppery and the spicy side came up and dried things out a little. The simplest comparison I can make is to say the whiskey jinks towards Bigelow Constant Comment tea in its flavor, which gives you an idea of where it went, albeit at the cost of over-simplification. The finish jinks back again and runs into the sunset, and into long lasting, creme brulee with orange zest territory.

This Parker’s Heritage is exactly why distilleries should experiment with barrel finishes. While this isn’t what most people look for when they turn to a bourbon, the orange curacao brought out something the best while also bringing out something different in what was probably an otherwise nice, but merely mature bourbon.

The Price
If you’re still scoffing at the idea of a 7 year old entry to Bourbon’s Big Autumn, take a step back and look at the price: $89.99 a bottle. The last time a Parker’s Heritage release was that cheap was four years ago.