Twice a year and sometimes at the distillery, Heaven Hill puts out its very limited release wheated bourbon in an old school bottled in bond proof in a very nice decanter. I have reviewed previous releases from last year. This juice was barreled in the fall of 2005. Slightly older than my youngest daughter.

I ended up taking this bottle to Tom Spencer’s house last Thursday night. So, I got some tried and true palates tasting it but also some folks that really aren’t bourbon nerds. Everyone was duly impressed with the bourbon.

Nice pile long legs and nice amber color. A little less mahogany than previous releases. On the nose is brown sugar, slight caramel, nice oak, baking spice. On the palate is caramelized brown sugar, leather, oak, both muddling and baking spices, with the cinnamon taking over on the finish. Truly delightful stuff. This is the wheated bourbon profile with sufficient age and proof that people pay thousands for on the secondary market. To me, this bourbon is richer than Pappy 20 and is really on the level with a really good Pappy 15. Nice mouthfeel. This isn’t full bodied bourbon, but it’s not medium bodied either. It’s like medium rare bodied; just right in a way. William LaRue Weller is the ultimate expression of this type of bourbon. I would say Old Fitz is a pretty close second, particularly this release. The oak and leather are really there.

If you can snag a bottle for $130, it is definitely worth it.