This is some impressive shit. My snifter and I are enjoying it very much right now.
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HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERIES ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE THIRD EDITION OF "PARKER'S HERITAGE COLLECTION" AMERICAN WHISKEY SERIES
2009 "Golden Anniversary" Bottling Celebrates Master Distiller Parker Beam's 50 Years of Craftsmanship
BARDSTOWN, KY--Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the country's largest independent family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer, announces the September release of the third edition of Parker's Heritage Collection, a limited annual series of rare, aged American Whiskeys that pays tribute to 6th Generation Master Distiller Parker Beam. The third release, the 2009 "Golden Anniversary" edition, specifically celebrates Parker's 50 years as a distiller, beginning in 1960, by marrying Bourbons from each of his five decades of craftsmanship in a rare and limited bottling.
The 2009 release of Parker's Heritage Collection comes on the heels of two of Heaven Hill's most highly acclaimed whiskeys, the barrel-proof 11-year-old 2007 edition Bourbon that was named one of Malt Advocate "Top Ten New Whiskies of 2007" and placed #21 in F. Paul Pacult's "111 Best Whiskeys, Brandies, Liqueurs and White Spirits in the World", and the 27-year-old 2008 Bourbon that won Best of Show, Brown Spirits at the most recent San Francisco World Spirits Competition and was named "North American Whiskey of the Year" by Malt Advocate. The Golden Anniversary edition will be offered nationally in a 750ml bottle, like the previous two Parker's Heritage Collection releases, and will be bottled at 100 proof with an average retail price of $150. The entire production run will only number 1500 three bottle cases, which will be allocated across the country and in select international markets and which will undoubtedly sell out as quickly as the previous editions.
Only Heaven Hill Distilleries, with the world's second largest inventory of aging Bourbon and nearly 50% of the world's supply of Bourbon barrels over 8 years old, could bring these rare and aged whiskeys to market. Parker Beam, along with his son Craig, oversees one of the world's most highly esteemed distilling operations, where renowned brands such as Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald, and Evan Williams, the world's second largest selling Bourbon, are produced according to Parker and Craig's seven-generation- old family recipe and yeast strain. Aged in traditional open-rick warehouses in Nelson County, the Bourbons used to make the Golden Anniversary edition were personally selected and married together by Parker, with the majority of the whiskey aged 10 to 20 years, and much lesser amounts of older whiskey.
To create the rare marriage of whiskeys, barrels from the 1970's and 80's were pulled from a variety of 3rd floor locations where temperatures are more variable. Barrels from the 1990's and 2000's were pulled from the highest floors in the rickhouse where greater temperature swings promote the aging process. These were combined with a very small amount of Bourbon from the 1960's to complete the five decade blend.
"This superlative Bourbon, a fitting tribute to an industry icon, has been 50 years in the making," commented Susan Wahl, brand manager for whiskeys at Heaven Hill. "The superior quality of the whiskey, its scarcity, and the fact that it is in recognition of a beloved figure in the American distilling industry should combine to make this a highly-sought after bottling."
Packaged in the same bottle as the 2007 and 2008 editions, the Parker's Heritage Collection Golden Anniversary bottling carries a distinctive gold and buff face label rather than the black and gold label of the previous two releases. It also features the cork closure and black and gold capsule of the prior Cask Strength and 27-Year-Old versions.
"I'm honored that Heaven Hill is recognizing my 50 years with this bottling, and I'm also excited that I was able to select and combine Bourbons of such varying ages," stated Parker Beam. "This was a fun and rewarding project and I hope everyone agrees with me that we have created a very special Bourbon, with blending unlike any other."
Future editions of Parker's Heritage Collection, to be released annually every Fall, will feature unique expressions of American Whiskey styles drawn from Heaven Hill's inventory of more than 700,000 aging barrels. Heaven Hill, as the only remaining national distiller that produces Bourbon, Rye, Corn and Wheat Whiskeys (Tennessee Whiskey being the remaining straight whiskey type, which must by law be made in Tennessee), has in its rickhouses more American Whiskey styles/types than any other producer--barrels that would typically be dumped for acclaimed brands like Evan Williams and Elijah Craig Bourbon, Rittenhouse Rye, Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey and Mellow Corn Corn Whiskey.
But Parker Beam, who oversees all aspects of whiskey production, aging and selection at Heaven Hill alongside his son Craig, much as Parker did with his father Earl, has earmarked select barrels of each of these styles to be dumped for future editions of Parker's Heritage Collection.
