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Parkers Heritage Collection 8th Release

PHC 8th Release 63.7% ABV

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@VictorReview by @Victor

23rd Jun 2015

0

  • Nose
    24
  • Taste
    21
  • Finish
    21
  • Balance
    21
  • Overall
    87

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Parkers Heritage Collection releases are the special releases from Heaven Hill named after Master Distiller Parker Beam. The eighth release is of a wheat whiskey which contains 51% wheat, 39% corn, and 10% malted barley. The whiskey is from the first year's production of Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey, but is barrel strength, and is now 13 years old, compared to the 7 years of aging given to Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey. There are at least two batches of the PHC eighth release, this one at 63.7% ABV and another at 63.4% ABV. The reviewed samples are courtesy of @Nock, and are from a bottle open for 6 months

Nose: excellent sharp well-defined wheat aromas. The pitches are mostly medium range, with a significant number of high pitches and just a few lower register pitches. This is wheat mixed with varnish--but pleasant. This is mostly sweet, with a good dry/astringent balance. As with wheated bourbons, the remarkable ability of the grain wheat, and wheat only, to meld flavours with oak, is well on display here. Water broadens the grain and oak flavours, and focuses the sweetness. An excellent nose

Taste: sharp-edged wheat, sharp-edged oak, and sharp-edged alcohol, when consumed without water. Wood spice and wood tannins. Water added broadens and deepens the wheat flavours. The alcohol greeting remains significant even with water added. This shifts toward the sour and tannic mid-palate

Finish: long and intense, ending more sour and tannic than I would like. Water added doesn't change the finish very much

Balance: great balance in the nose, good balance on the palate, too sour at the finish. The nose is the highlight here. This is quite an interesting whiskey by virtue of the rarity of barrel strength majority wheat whiskey. This one is the first one ever offered for sale. The wheat flavours are present in spades, but a top quality wheated bourbon will give a similar wheat experience in a whiskey of better overall quality, complexity, and balance. Parkers Heritage Collection has led us to expect greatness on the basis of its previous releases. Despite being a very good whiskey, this Parkers Heritage Collection 8th Edition is a little disappointing for a Parkers Heritage Collection release

Strength: very good strength of flavours. Score: 24/25 points

Quality: solid quality in all of the flavours. Score: 22/25 points

Variety: adequate variety of flavours, but not outstanding variety, except in the nose. Score: 21/25 points

Harmoney: too much wood tannin and sourness mar the late palate and finish. Score: 20/25 points

Total non-sequential score: 87/100 points

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4 comments

@MaltActivist
MaltActivist commented

Thanks for yet another awesome review. So which one is your favorite? Mine is probably the 4th Edition followed by the 5 --- though, mind you, I've not tried 1, 7 and 8.

8 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@MaltActivist, my favourite Parkers Heritage Collection whiskey? I have only tried Editions # 4, 5, 6, and 8. I joined the premium bourbon game in 2010, when the 4th Edition came out. Actually my sister has been the one who birthday gifted me bottles of PHC from Editions # 4, 5, and 6. God bless her...she is a great big sister, and a whiskey-hearty woman who buys a lot of bottles I get to try without having to buy them for myself.

The 62.1% ABV batch of the 4th Edition 10 yo Wheated Bourbon is also my favourite, though I consider the 6th edition 'Blend of Mashbills' 68.95% ABV to be sensational as well. And yes, like you, I am very much a fan of the 5th Edition Cognac Finish, Jim Murray notwithstanding.

I regret having passed on the opportunity to have bought a bottle of the 7th Edition. I was being an ABV snob at the time, not wanting it at a mere 48% ABV. Shortsighted approach. I should have realized that the barrel selection would be above reproach.

8 years ago 0

@JasonHambrey
JasonHambrey commented

I have only tried the 7th and 8th editions. The 7th was fabulous - one of the best bourbons I've had - you did miss out @victor. Granted, I've not had many of the rare premium bourbons, though I did unquestionably like PH7 more than the Four Roses LE Small Batch last year.

8 years ago 0

maltmate302 commented

Thank you for another excellent review Victor .As you know I have also got a bottle of the 8th edition but to be honest I don't know whether to open it or sell it on. I was very excited to be able to get a chance at a bottle of Parker's Heritage but this one appears to be the weakest release to date . The reviews online for this one are very mixed indeed,some people love it and others ,like you, have found it to be disappointing . Obviously it's still a very good whiskey but with Parker's I was expecting something excellent . Fortunately for me I have recently sourced some Old Weller Antique 107 and Weller 12 to satisfy my wheat cravings. I've only opened the Antique so far but already find it quite excellent .Definitely one of the most enjoyable Bourbon's I've had.

8 years ago 0

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