The 2019 Parker’s Heritage will be Collection’s First Straight Rye Whiskey

Parker's Heritage Collection 2019 Heavy Char Rye Whiskey. Photo Courtesy Heaven Hill Distillery.

Heaven Hill Distillery has unveiled the 2019 expression in their Parker’s Heritage Collection, Heavy Char Rye Whiskey. This marks the 13th release in the collection, as well as the first Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey in the line.

While standard barrels at Heaven Hill are Char 3, the barrels the distillery used to age this rye are Char 5, burned for 50 seconds longer than Char 3. The heavier the char, the easier it is for the whiskey to penetrate the wooden staves and take on heightened oak and spice flavors. The new rye release was aged eight years and nine months in these Char 5 barrels on the seventh floor of Rickhouse Y before being non-chill filtered and bottled at 105 proof.

“As the second largest holder of aging American Whiskey, Heaven Hill Distillery has the privilege of showcasing the quality and range of our distilling craft through the Parker’s Heritage Collection,” said Susan Wahl, Group Product Director at Heaven Hill Distillery in a press release this morning.

The Parker’s Heritage Collection is named for famed Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam, who passed away in 2017 after being diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 2010. Portions from the sale of each of his namesake bottles are donated to fund ALS research. Sales from the past six editions, including last year’s Orange Curaçao Barrel Finish, have helped raise over $1,000,000.

“Parker was involved in the development of this bottling over eight years ago and will continue to leave his mark on many future bottlings. It is in tribute to Parker and his legacy that we continue to support ALS research and patient care with this series,” Wahl said.

Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Rye Whiskey will arrive on shelves in September 2019 with a suggested retail price of around $150.

Caroline Paulus
Caroline Paulus is the Senior Editor for The Bourbon Review. She lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow her on Instagram @misswhiskeyhistorian to keep up with her latest in bourbon news - and a few old finds, too.