Parkers Heritage Collection – Master Distillers Blend Of Mashbills
Country: American   Region: USAKentucky
Age: 11 year Old   Strength: 65.8%
Summary: Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the countrys largest independent family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer, announces the September release of the sixth edition of Parkers Heritage Collection, a limited annual series of rare, aged American Whiskeys that pays tribute to 6th Generation Master Distiller Parker Beam. The 2012 release will feature select barrels of 11 year old Heaven Hill rye-based Bourbons, used for such renown brands as Elijah Craig and Evan Williams, mingled with select barrels of the wheated mashbill Heaven Hill uses for the Old Fitzgerald line, also aged for 11 years. Bottled at cask strength, this bottling, much like the highly acclaimed "Golden Anniversary" bottling of 2009, showcases not only the individual whiskeys, but also the skill of the Master Distiller in selecting and marrying them together in the right proportions.
The rye-based Bourbon was pulled from the 4th floor of Rickhouse "R" in Bardstown, while the wheated Bourbon aged on the topmost 7th floor of nearby Rickhouse "T". Like previous Parkers Heritage Collection releases, the "Master Distillers Blend of Mashbills" will not be chill-filtered as is the custom for many Bourbon brands, thereby helping to maintain the natural esters and compounds which provide a rich texture and mouthfeel. The release will comprise of 3 "dumps", with each having a slightly different barrel proof. The first dump will carry a proof of 131.6, or 65.8% alcohol by volume.
This years release of Parkers Heritage Collection promises to be a worthy successor to the previous five releases, which, having won multiple awards from Whisky Advocate Magazine (formerly Malt Advocate Magazine), Whisky Magazine and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, stand as some of the most critically lauded American Whiskeys in recent memory. Past bottlings have won awards ranging from "Best North American Whiskey" to "American Whiskey of the Year" to "Best of Show, Brown Spirits."
Packaged in the same upscale 750ml bottle as the previous five editions, the Parkers Heritage Collection Master Distillers Blend of Mashbills Bourbon is available in a three bottle case that should start hitting retail shelves and back bars in September, in time for the cooler weather that traditionally signals "whiskey season". 
"It is always an enjoyable challenge to plan out the annual releases of the Parkers Heritage Collection, and this years was no different" noted Heaven Hills Parker Beam. "Weve always traditionally used a rye-based Bourbon mashbill, but weve been making wheated Bourbon for over a decade now, and the way they blend with each other has always intrigued me. Were very pleased with the taste and finish of this years edition, and releasing it at barrel proof allows consumers to have some say in how it presents itself."
The 2012 Parkers Heritage Collection Master Distillers Blend of Mashbills is a very limited release, as all of the previous five have been. Only about 7,500 bottles are available for national and international sales, and as always, once these are shipped from Bardstown, no more will be made available.