Background

Heaven Hill Select Stock, the elusive distillery only release from Heaven Hill. Typically available through their You Do Bourbon experience, this is Heaven Hill’s primary way of getting experimental releases to the market. Which is ironic given these two releases are arguably two of the less experimental options released! Here we have:

• A 14 year old bourbon, aged in tapered stave barrels. What’s a tapered stave barrel? Well, if you can find a picture of it let me know but for once, extensive Googling has failed me. The staves are apparently tapered down to end up with a barrel that’s slightly more diamond shaped and has about half the capacity as a normal barrel. Credit to redditor u/Old_Riff_502 for the prior review that laid a bunch of this out!

• A 14 year old wheat whiskey. You know that Bernheim Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey that Heaven Hill launched as its own product line this year? Instead of 7-9 years aging, this release cranks it up to 14 years.

How will these compare? Let’s dig into each and find out!

Heaven Hill Select Stock 14 Year Bourbon - Tapered Stave Barrel (14 Years, 132.3 Proof)

Nose: Dates and plums, liquified caramel. I’ll be honest, the nose is a little closed off… but you can almost smell the viscosity of the sip to come.

Palate: Black cherry syrup, leather, it's rich, dark and juicy. Sticky toffee and more caramel. Anise and cloves bring a nice dose of spice.

Finish: It coats your mouth and leaves a rich impression of honey and dates. There's again some gentle waves of spices that integrate tremendously well with the sweeter parts of the finish.

Incredible (9/10)

Overall: What’s conspicuously missing is the oak given the age, and especially given what is likely a higher ratio of barrel surface area to liquid. I had initial concerns this might be super tannic, but instead this is just a RICH sipper. At 132.3 proof too you get some heat but nowhere near what you would expect. Sit around a fire with this pour and just watch your troubles melt away.

Heaven Hill Select Stock 14 Year Wheat Whiskey (14 Years, 135.8 Proof)

Nose: Straw, Golden Grahams, it's lighter, but brighter and more prominent and inviting than the bourbon with a candy caramel, vanilla, and light cinnamon sweetness.

Palate: It's fruity and sweet, bright but with a little viscosity from the age. Stewed peaches, honey, there’s some hints of black pepper and cinnamon as well as a touch of orange.

Finish: Burnt orange peel, anise and black pepper. Then almost a numbing sensation on the back of the throat like you'd get from a particularly intense cough drop. Maybe it’s just the proof but I don't think so, it’s more of a sensation than it is a taste. Odd.

Great (7/10)

Overall: This is undoubtedly tasty, a rich and approachable profile that doesn't rock you in the face with its almost 136 proof. It’s even a little brighter in flavor than I would have expected for 14 years, and again I didn't pick up a ton of oak or rich tannins which is surprising. It’s absolutely a quality pour, but I’d be lying if I said it knocked my socks off like the bourbon did, and the finish was a little wonky.