In it’s 10th edition, Heaven Hill Distillery released this 24 year-old bourbon, which pays homage to sixth-generation Master Distiller Parker Beam. Not only does it pay homage to him, but Heaven Hill also donates portions of the proceeds made from the bottles to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, research and patient care, a disease Beam has been battling with for a number of years.

What you may also find unique about this particular release, aside from its age, is that it’s bourbon bottled-in-bond. If you aren’t familiar with the term, bottle-in-bond refers to the bottle-in-bond act passed in 1897. It ensured consumers were getting the quality of product stated in the label. In order to get the label the whiskey had to meet a strict set of regulations set by the federal government.

There are two variations of this release, one that was produced in the fall of 1990 and the other in the spring of 1991. The one I got the opportunity to taste was the fall of 1990 variation. This 24 year-old Parker’s Heritage bourbon might just be the oldest bourbon I have tasted to date and let me tell you, it was an absolute treat. This whiskey was smooth and absolutely delicious.

Tasting Notes
Nose: oak and vanilla
Palate: vanilla, cinnamon with touching notes of oak and chocolate
Finish: smooth and slight lingering chocolate notes

In most bourbon’s I have tasted, you can always identify the oak notes. Although you can as well with this 24 year old, the difference is that the oak notes are subtle and sweet at points. It was quite refreshing to have the oak notes taste in a different way.

This whiskey is complex, balanced and smooth to the last drop. The one thing is that a bottle is quite expensive as it retails at $249. If there is an upside to paying this much is that they are using a bit of the money for ALS. I was fortunate enough to try this at the Last Hurrah in Boston. They might still have some if you live in the Boston area and if they do, they will not for very long so I’d hurry. I highly recommend trying!

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.