Get ready for great whiskey: Heaven Hill has announced this year’s Parker’s Heritage Collection bottling, which will be coming out in September. Plus, there’s a new craft rye from Texas’ Ben Milam Whiskey, as well as a corn whiskey from Seattle’s 2bar Spirits. And although it’s not a whisky, Pulteney Distillery in Scotland is rolling out a liqueur that uses its Old Pulteney single malt as a base.
2017 Parker's Heritage Collection
Style: Bourbon
Origin: Kentucky
Age: 11 years old
Proof: 61% ABV
Price: $130
Release: September 2017
Availability: Very limited
Need to know:
The Parker’s Heritage Collection honors Parker Beam, the longtime master distiller at Heaven Hill who passed away earlier this year from ALS. This is the eleventh release in the series, and like past bottlings, a portion of sales will be donated to ALS research through the Parker Beam Promise of Hope fund.
Whisky Advocate says:
Parker Beam loved Evan Williams 1783, and we’re told this 11 year old special release takes all the flavors of that bourbon and amps them up. The whiskey will be hitting store shelves in September; expect it to sell out fast.
Ben Milam Rye
Style: Rye
Origin: Texas
Age: Not stated
Proof: 40% ABV
Price: $45
Release: July 2017
Availability: Texas only
Need to know:
This is a rye whiskey from Ben Milam Spirits, a craft distillery in Blanco, Texas. The distillery also has a bourbon.
Whisky Advocate says:
Ben Milam only sells its whiskeys in the state of Texas for now. The distillery makes both the bourbon and the rye itself.
2bar Corn Whiskey
Style: Corn whiskey
Origin: Washington
Age: 3 years old
Proof: 50% ABV
Price: $32 (375-ml.)
Release: July 2017
Availability: Distillery only and at 2bar's online store
Need to know:
This is a single barrel release of corn whiskey (mash bill: 80% corn, 20% malted barley) that 2bar Distillery aged in its own used bourbon barrels. Note that the price is for a half-size bottle.
Whisky Advocate says:
2bar provided a lot of information about this whiskey: It was distilled to 77.5% ABV, barreled at 55% ABV, and bottled at 65% ABV. If you’re wondering how the whiskey’s proof rose while it was in the barrel, there’s a simple explanation. The angels’ share—the amount of liquid lost to evaporation during barrel aging—includes both ethanol and water. But these two liquids can evaporate at different rates, depending on the climate conditions. Sometimes that means the whiskey’s proof goes down while aging. In this case, the opposite occurred. 2bar’s warehouse space is very humid and experiences temperature swings from the 70s in winter to the high 90s in summer.
Stroma
Style: Whisky-based liqueur
Origin: Pulteney Distillery, Scotland
Age: Not stated
Proof: 35% ABV
Price: $35
Release: July 2017
Availability: 9 states (CA, CO, IL, MD, MA, NV, NY, SC, TX), plus Washington, D.C., with more to come
Need to know:
This isn’t a whisky, but it does use Old Pulteney single malt as its base. It’s lower-proof than whisky—35% ABV—and has fruit flavors.
Whisky Advocate says:
Some whisky drinkers will never touch a liqueur—even one like this made with real whisky, a change from many so-called “flavored whiskies” that use mainly neutral spirit. But every so often, you might find yourself hankering for a different kind of dram. Pulteney Distillery’s oily, rich single malt should stand up well as the foundation for this sweet pour. Try it in a cocktail using a 1:1 ratio of Old Pulteney 12 year old and Stroma with a couple dashes of orange bitters.
