Review #906 - Parker's Heritage 19th Edition American Straight Whiskey (2025)
The Parker's Heritage Collection from Heaven Hill takes its name from Parker Beam, a previous master distiller at the distillery. This experimental line of whiskies honors his legacy with a unique, limited release each year; a portion of the proceeds from these sales benefit ALS research in his memory.
These Parker's Heritage releases often revolve around a unique mashbill or blend of mashbills, or some sort of twist on the normal Heaven Hill maturation. For the 2025 edition, which is the 19th release in the series, they blended a 15 year old wheated bourbon, an 11 year old corn whiskey, and a 12 year old 'whiskey' made of just rye and malted barley. A total of 160 barrels were selected for this blend; at the time of bottling, the strength was blended to 61.25% ABV (122.5 proof).
Parker's Heritage 19th Edition American Straight Whiskey (2025)
USA - American
MSRP: USD 180 (2025)
Available Price: USD 210 (2026, based on recent auction results)
Age Statement: 11 Years
Strength: 61.25% ABV
Details: Bottled 2025
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 2 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: This smells great - old, lots of character. Mature oak, fermented tobacco leaf, a bit of rye spice, then some spearmint and hints of licorice. Vanilla brings a soft sweetness, and we get accents of orange peel, sawdust, herbs, and a bit of a nutty character. Sage, a bit dusty... smells like dusty bourbons from the 1980s.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick. Oily oak, rich brown sugar - nice sweetness up front, but then lots of herbal and spicy notes follow. Tannic oak, licorice, black pepper and cinnamon combine with vanilla, old oak, and hints of blood orange and even salt. It's complex and varied in each tasting.
Finish: Brown sugar sweetness and mild pecan notes linger, and the fermented tobacco leaf from the nose returns. Autumn leaves, dill, nutmeg, and warming oak build, and we get more spice from pepper and tannins. Peppermint lingers in the finish; it's a long, spicy finish.
Final Note: Wow, what a bottle. We didn't know quite what to expect going into these tastings due to the unique blend of whiskies used in this bottle, but we found that it displayed its age very well. There was a lot of complexity, too - the bourbon elements show, the rye brings some spice, and the corn whisky brings that characteristic sweetness and oak influence. Very, very good bottle - we would savor this one.
To value, then - we liked this so much, we actually think value is fine at MSRP despite the $180 price tag. Secondary isn't too much higher, hovering around $210 as far as we can tell right now; for a secondary price, that's decent value as well.
Our Rating: 8.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating (MSRP): 6.02
Value Rating (Available Price): 5.72
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
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