| Six Heaven Hill Bourbons
by Kevin R. Kosar Heaven Hill Distilleries is a whale in the world of Bourbon. They are located in Bardstown, Kentucky, and have been churning out many brands of whiskey since 1935. On November 7 of 1996, a horrible fire broke out. As Jim Murray writes in his The Complete Guide to Whiskey, "as a storm passed over central Kentucky skies, flames were seen dancing from warehouse "J". Before anyone ahd a chance to react, the building was an inferno. With powerful gusting winds fanning the flames, it was just minutes before warehouse "I" was engulfed and then another and then another." Up to 90,000 gallons of Bourbon were destroyed that day. Nonetheless, they soldier on, making a variety of bourbons, some of the medium priced ones we've reviewed previously and positively (e.g., Elijah Craig 12 Year, Evan Williams 1989 Single Barrel). Recently I had the pleasure of tasting six of their value-competitive to modestly priced Bourbons, ranging from $8-$16 a bottle. On the whole, I was impressed- while one often finds throat-scorchers in this price range, not one of these whiskeys isn't worth trying. |
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Heaven
Hill Bourbon (80 proof) is aged four years and costs about $8-$10.
On the nose it has a pungent rye-like aroma. On the palate its a
little spicy, a little woody, a touch warm going down, and finishes with
sugar-caramel note. Heaven Hill Bourbon is sweet, nice on ice and
well worth the price. Why more bars don't stock this in the well
I do not know.
(Rating ***1/4) |
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Cabin Still (80 proof) threw me entirely. It's much drier than Heaven Hill Bourbon, more medicinal, and offers light notes of mint and smoke. Not for the newcomer, but this four year old $10-$12 whiskey will intrigue whiskey lovers. (Rating ***1/4) |
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Next up was Henry McKenna Bourbon,
which is aged four to five years, and retails for $11-$13 for a fifth and
about $20 for a jug. Touted as "Kentucky's finest table whiskey,"
Henry Mckenna tastes of caramel, cinnamon, honey and cloves. It is
very smooth and very enjoyable. (Rating ****)
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The came Fighting Cock, which
Heaven Hill pushes with the motto, "If you can't run with the rooster,
stay in the hen house." Well!
Fighting Cock was the most potent of the bunch, weighing in at 103 proof. Hold the clear bottle to the light and you'll see a caramel-copper color. Sip with a few drops of water and you'll find it is intense, a tiny bit sweet, spicy, and dishes out, surprisingly, a hazelnut note. (Rating ***3/4) |
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Rounding out the selection were
two Evan Williams Bourbons. Evan Williams Green Label (80
proof) is gold-straw colored, light, smooth, and very nuanced whiskey.
Aged four years, one can taste the grain and an orange-cinnamon note. It finishes with a caramel chewyness. Quite impressive, and a real
bargain at at $9 a bottle. (Rating ***3/4)
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Last, sadly, came Evan Williams
Black (80 proof). More viscous than the Green, this bourbon has
a firm caramel sweetness that slides into a honey note before finishing
with a mint taste. Aged seven years and running about $12 a fifth,
Evan Williams Black is a very smooth and quite tasty sipping bourbon.
(Rating ****1/4) |