Tasting Notes

Producing WhiskyCast has given me the opportunity to taste some really amazing whiskies, and I’m pleased to share my tasting notes with you here. You can search my entire database of tasting notes from this page, and I hope you’ll find it useful.

Parker’s Heritage Collection Heavy Char Rye 2019 Edition

Country: USA

Region: Kentucky

Type: Rye Whiskey

Bottler: Distiller

ABV: 52.5%

Score: 93 Points

Parker's Heritage Collection Heavy Char Rye 2019 Edition. Image courtesy Heaven Hill Distillery.You may have heard of “Level 4” charred barrels, but the barrels for this year’s release of Parker’s Heritage Collection were given even more time under intense heat and flame for a “Level 5” char that created even more cracks and fissures in the wood. The spirit made from a mashbill of 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley was allowed to mature in those barrels for 8 years and 9 months before bottling.

The nose has notes of campfire wood and ashes, baking spices, dark chocolate, espresso beans, and a hint of pipe tobacco. The taste is spicy, but still smooth with clove, cinnamon, chili powder, and a hint of black pepper complemented by campfire smoke, pipe tobacco, and a hint of honey. The finish is very long, and fades away gently with a nice balance of honey sweetness and lingering spices. Excellent! (September, 2019)