Heaven Hill Select Stocks! Jack Rose Tasting Review
Background
A sign of the times perhaps, but allegedly these barrel finished Heaven Hill Select Stocks have been (unsure if current or past tense) available at the gift shop for some time! So much so that Bill Thomas, owner of Jack Rose, apparently was allowed to buy a veritable horde of them. Hence, this tasting, covering five different offerings:
14th Edition: Small Batch Bourbon made from mingling 7- and 12-year-old barrels together; finished in a used Brandy barrel for more than four years.
15th Edition: Small Batch Bourbon made from mingling 7- and 12-year-old barrels together; finished in a used Armagnac barrel for more than four years.
16th Edition: Small Batch Bourbon made from mingling 7- and 12-year-old barrels together; finished in a used Sherry barrel for more than four years.
17th* Edition: Wheated Bourbon aged for 6 years then finished in Good Folks Coffee Company barrels for an additional 12 months.
18th* Edition: 5 barrels of Malt Whiskey aged for 8 years, finished in used Mezcal barrels for 6 months.
*I’m not positive these editions aren’t reversed. Heaven Hill’s website only lists up to the 16th edition, but it seems reasonable to assume these are the next two in one order or another.
Heaven Hill Select Stock 14th Edition: Brandy Finish (7 Years, 100 Proof)
Nose: Plum based desserts, and dark chocolate. It smells fruit forward, but there's no mistaking bourbon is here too. The brandy is layered with dark, toasted oak notes.
Palate: More of the same from the nose, in a good way! Candied apples, more toasted oak, and cloves. It’s rich, and strikes a good balance between the brandy finish and the underlying bourbon.
Finish: Medium length, big black licorice which I love, a warm flambe fruit note. There’s a lovely bit of spiciness giving the finish some heft as well. Cloves and black pepper
Great (7/10)
Overall: Crushable. A nice texture that doesn’t tip over into too syrupy or sweet. I love the spice on the finish. Does it rock my world with its complexity? No. But it’s a super effective pour.
Heaven Hill Select Stock 15th Edition: Armagnac Finish (7 Years, 100 Proof)
Nose: ... muddled. It’s kind of tough to discern specifics grape pie note. Vaguely nutty, presenting a light peanut shell note.
Palate: I feel like my palate is COATED with armagnac. Far too syrupy and Armagnac driven for my tastes. Dark chocolate, waves of orange, menthol and cloves.
Finish: Raisins and citrus, anise, more of that menthol note. It does last forever, but more in a “this is kind of ruining my palate” way.
Sub-par (4/10)
Overall: This is a score that requires some explanation, because its very drinkable, but to me it tastes purely like Armagnac. Does that mean the notes are bad? No. But it's overcooked on the finish, in my opinion, leaving you with no understanding of what the underlying bourbon is bringing to the table.
Heaven Hill Select Stock 16th Edition: Sherry Finish (7 Years, 100 Proof)
Nose: Jammy red fruit (gun to my head, raspberries) and red licorice. Definitely getting the sherry!
Palate: BIGGGGG cherry notes, the medicinal kind in particular. Cherry cough drops, and somewhere wayyyyy in the background are oak notes and a few dashes of baking spices.
Finish: More of that medicinal cherry, this time McDonald’s cherry pie. A fair amount of cinnamon as well.
Good (5/10)
Overall: Teetering PRECARIOUSLY on the verge of too much sherry influence, and honestly crosses the line a bit. The main difference between this and the last are my slight preference towards cherry notes, and the fact that it didn’t feel like my palate was completely blown out by it.
Heaven Hill Select Stock 17th(?) Edition: Wheated Bourbon Finished in Coffee Barrels (6 Years, 86 Proof)
Nose: "It stings the nostrils". My god, this is 86 proof? This is waste runoff levels of potent. If I have to give notes, green pepper first, coffee second, and oh my god this is one of the worst whiskeys I have ever smelt.
Palate: POISON. That pepper note weirdly hasn’t left. Notes of coffee grounds and vegetables composting together. It’s thick, weirdly thick, sludgy I’d say.
Finish: Like you ate some sishito peppers, drank some coffee and then threw up in your mouth.
Disgusting (1/10)
Overall: My god, what a historic disaster. Pitchfork famously reviewed the Jet album “Shine On” by linking a video of a monkey pissing in it's own mouth. It was tempting to do the same here. I did not finish this pour. I did not want to have a second sip of this pour. I did so I could take more notes and try to give it a fair shake, but this abomination will be seared into my palate memory for some time.
Heaven Hill Select Stock 18th(?) Edition: Malt Whiskey Finished in Mezcal Barrels (8 Years, 128.1 Proof)
Nose: Peaches and mangos… fruity! This occasional bubblegum note? Vivacious and attention grabbing.
Palate: Huh, alot going on here. That bubblegum note grows in prominence from the nose. It’s earthy too, having this note that I can only describe as soil but it is not nearly as off putting as it sounds. Various fresh cut fruits.
Finish: Pine? There's a fresh, herbaceousness alongside the fruit. Potpourri-esque. A gentle char/toasted pineapple note. Chicory coffee.
Very Good (6/10)
Overall: One of the most unique things I've had in a long time. Would I drink a whole bottle of it? Probably not, but I'd share it liberally and excitedly with friends as a pour that would be sure to spark conversation.
