The Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Whiskey lineup is an interesting series of whiskeys.
It was created to highlight the partnership between family and high-quality whiskey.
Heaven Hill has been focusing on creating quality whiskeys from quality ingredients.
These quality ingredients come from long-standing trusted partnerships that they say were “built on handshakes, not contracts”.
I can only imagine what the process was like nearly 100 years ago when Heaven Hill first started distilling whiskey, Beck’s Hybrids began selecting ideal corn plants, and Peterson farms had been running their family-owned farm.
These three companies partnered together to bring the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Whiskey series to life and this is the first batch in the series.
A Little About Heaven Hill’s History
Heaven Hill has been making whiskey since 1935 and was headquarted in Bardstown, Kentucky.
The distillery is now called the Heaven Hill Bernheim Distillery and is located in Louisville, Kentucky.
It is the second largest bourbon distillery in the world and the largest independent family-owned and operated produced of distilled spirits in the United States.
They now product many brands of whiskey including Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye, Larceny, Evan Williams, and Henry McKenna.
What I find interesting about Heaven Hill and this particular lineup of bottles is that the focus is on family-owned partnerships between Heaven Hill, Beck’s Hybrids, and Peterson Farms which have been in business equally as long.
Beck’s Hybrids and Their 6158 Corn Seed Varietal
All three bottles in the Grain to Glass series were created using the specific corn seed varietal called Beck’s 6158.
From Heaven Hill’s website:
“Typically, whiskey is made with low-starch corn because it produces a higher yield. However, waxy (or high-starch) corn results in better alcohol content.”
The Heaven Hill master distillers partnered with Beck’s Hybrids to find the “perfect non-GMO corn seed varietal” to use in this whiskey series.
The varietal that was chosen was the Beck’s 6158 and is used in their 2024 releases (hinting that this may be an ongoing series with different strains).
Beck’s Hybrids has also been in business for nearly 90 years and was established in 1937 out of Atlanta, Indiana.
Sonny Beck meticulously selected corn plants that had the attributes they felt would pair best for Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass series with higher starch content and the ability to thrive in Kentucky soil.
The corn was grown on Peterson Farms in Loretto, Kentucky which has thirteen generations of history as a family owned business.
With all the history out of the way, let’s jump into each bottle of whiskey and see how they taste!
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Bourbon Whiskey ($99)
Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass Bourbon Whiskey is the first I tried in this lineup.
Right off the bat, I could tell this was a high-rye bourbon and after looking at the label, that makes total sense since they would like to highlight the “grain” element of the whiskey.
The mashbill on this bottle is 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malt and it is 121 Proof.
On my first sip, this one packed quite a punch!
I definitely get a lot of the rye spice and a peppery heat to it.
The bold flavors of the grain really stand out but I don’t get a lot of the traditional sweetness from the corn (hence why they call is Grain to Glass I’m sure).
Overall, I wasn’t blown away by the bourbon and would have been happier if this bottle was in the $60-70 price range.
You can click here to read my full Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Bourbon Review.
But let’s move on to the next bottle in the series, the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon ($99)
The Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon is next in the lineup and right away I am getting major notes of honey and Sugar Smacks cereal on the nose (which I love).
This bottle has a mashbill of 52% corn, 35% wheat, and 13% malt and boasts a lovely 60.5% ABV.
It is non-chill filtered which allows it to keep a nice oily and buttery mouthfeel that really helps with the finish.
From the first sip of this whiskey you are hit with a lovely wheat grain flavor profile that is full of earthy, grain, and cereal notes that truly do remind me of my favorite cereals growing up.
In additional to those grainy flavors, it is full of nice honey, toasted oak, and sweet caramel vanilla flavors that give it a very well-balanced flavor profile.
This bottle just jumps right out at you and does exactly what is advertised on the bottle – it brings the grain directly to your glass.
I love this whiskey!
All I can say is that Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon delivers on its price tag and is absolutely worth the purchase.
Note: I’m also a fan of Heaven Hill’s Larceny Barrel Proof and Bernheim Barrel Proof so it is no shock to me that I would also love this bottle.
Do yourself a favorite and pick this bottle up if you see it.
As much as I want to just keep drinking more of this wheated bourbon, it is time to move on to the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye Whiskey.
But you can click to read my full Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon Review.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye Whiskey ($99)
After that wheated bourbon, it’s going to be tough to compete but let’s get into this Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye Whiskey.
This bottle’s mash bill is 63% rye, 24% corn, and 13% malt with a 61.6% ABV which is the highest of the three.
The first thing I noticed on this pour is that the nose is quite delicate and floral.
It definitely has the rich rye spice, but its also got a lot more layers of complexity.
The main notes I get are rye spice, earthy and pepper, but the more nuanced smells give me hints of red fruits, toasted oak, caramel, cinnamon, baking spice, and an oaky tannic spice.
On my first sip, I can definitely tell this a non-chill filtered high ABV whiskey.
It packs quite the punch and really hits you with a lot of rye spice and earthy peppery flavors.
The rye grain is front and center and absolutely steals the show.
What I like most though is that even though the rye spice and earthy grain are front and center, I get a nice sweet caramel and fruit layer that is very enjoyable after the rye spice dissipates.
I’ve reviewed a lot of rye whiskeys before and most are pretty one-dimensional.
This bottle is quite complex and kind of morphs and changes with each sip.
This bottle definitely delivers on what it advertises and for that reason, I think it is worth the $99 price tag.
You can click here to read my full Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye Whiskey Review.
Conclusions on Heaven Hill Grain To Glass Whiskey Series
I purchased these three bottles hoping to get a unique experience from the Heaven Hill distillery.
I’ve been a big fan of Heaven Hill’s other brands like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Bernheim Barrel Proof, and Rittenhouse Rye is one of my favorite whiskeys for cocktails and manhattans.
I was a little nervous after the Bourbon tasting, but the Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon and Rye Whiskey really pulled through.
It was nice to taste each whiskey and experience the grains that Heaven Hill intended for us to experience.
I appreciate that they left these bottles non-chill filtered and at a higher proof which allowed for a very rich finish and let the flavors linger on my palate after each sip.
Overall, I would say that Heaven Hill was successful in this whiskey series and I am curious to see what they will do next year.
I know all of the distilleries are looking for new “limited release” series to help build hype and sell more bottles, but I feel like Heaven Hill is doing it right.
The Elijah Craig, Larceny, and Bernheim Barrel proof series have been releasing 3 editions per year and I’ve felt like they are excellent bottles, especially for the price.
Heaven Hill has gained a lot of respect from me for keeping their barrel proof bottles right at the $75 price range. The quality is excellent for that price and it is a no brainer to buy at least one or two of each release when they arrive at my local stores.
This series pushes the price up to $99 and while I do wish they were $75, it is a unique experience to have 3 grain forward whiskeys that are each made with the same exact corn varietal to get an in-depth experience exploring the differences between the three bottles.
If you’re considering whether to purchase these bottles, I definitely recommend giving them a shot.
The wheated bourbon is definitely my favorite with the rye coming in second and the bourbon closing out in third place.
I appreciate you joining me for this tasting and I hope you get a chance to taste these bottles for yourself.
If you are interested you can click to read each of my full individual Grain to Glass Bourbon Review, Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon Review, and Grain to Glass Rye Whiskey Review.
Thanks for reading and cheers!
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