Heaven Hill Select Stock Review

Heaven Hill Select Stock

When I last visited Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center, I made sure to pick up a bottle of something for myself.  It came down to two bourbons: Heaven Hill Select Stock and William Heavenhill 11 year old Bottled-In-Bond.  I sampled both just minutes prior to my purchase and decided to go with the more experimental of the two: Heaven Hill Select Stock, available only at their Bourbon Heritage Center.  This is a barrel-proof (124.4 proof), single barrel, 8 year old wheated bourbon that’s finished in cognac casks for 32 months.

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A Visit to the Willett Distillery

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After a memorable visit to Heaven Hill in Bardstown this past March, I took the short drive to the Willett Distillery.  It’s literally on the next hill.  This distillery visit was my third in two days, after George Dickel and Heaven Hill.  Okay…technically, it was Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center / warehouse / bottling plant, not their distillery.  Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen and family run the company.  Their story is an interesting one, and can be found in more detail here.  Until very recently, Willett did not have a functioning distillery.  They have been sourcing whiskey from various places, then aging, blending and bottling under various labels their company owns.  It wasn’t until a couple of years ago the distillery was restored and Willett began distilling their own whiskey.  Their first non-sourced whiskey to hit the market was a 2-year old rye whiskey. (more…)

Rittenhouse Rye Whisky Review

Rittenhouse Rye

If you’re looking for a solid rye whisky that won’t break the bank, look no further.  Rittenhouse Rye Whisky is Heaven Hill’s standard rye offering.  It’s bottled-in-bond (BiB), which tells us this whisky is at least four years old and 100 proof.   Unlike a lot of rye whiskies on the market, Rittenhouse Rye is not distilled in Indiana by MGP.  It’s made at Heaven Hill’s Bernheim distillery in Louisville, KY.  That’s the nice thing about a BiB whisky – whisky makers are forced to tell us where the whisky is distilled.  The exact mash bill isn’t disclosed.  However, being a straight rye whisky, Rittenhouse has at least 51% rye in its mash bill.

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