Review: Heaven Hill Heritage Collection Wheat Whiskey 19 Years Old (2025)

It’s hard to believe but we’re on year four of the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, and for the first time the line is delving into wheat whiskey instead of bourbon or adjacent corn whiskey. In fact, at 19 years of age, it’s the oldest wheat whiskey that Heaven Hill has ever released. For that matter, it may be the oldest wheat whiskey that anyone has ever released.

The product is composed of Heaven Hill’s standard wheat whiskey mashbill: 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley. 277 barrels were laid down in August and September of 2005, aged on the 5th and 6th floors of rickhouse Y.

Let’s give this old wheat whiskey a spin.

It’s hard to remember a whiskey I’ve reviewed that starts off softer and gentler than this one. Very restrained on first blush, it feels like nothing’s there at all. Until a few minutes pass… and things slowly open to reveal quieter aromatics of sesame oil, Weetabix, and coconut oil — and later revealing more impactful suggestions of barrel char, corn chips, and a curiously sherried quality.

Rested in the glass, the palate has some punch to it, again with ample time to reflect. Notes of maple are strong but the flavors of oxidized wine are more forceful — showing more Madeira than sherry — and later evoking a curious but not unpleasant acetone quality. Ultimately more austere than expected, the sweet wine notes soon segue into a character I had trouble putting my finger on until I finally got it — buttered movie theater popcorn, that coconut oil filtered through a vaguely artificial punch that felt like, well, like I was in the third hour of The Brutalist. (In the best possible way.)

This coconutty-buttery quality is so impactful that, once I sussed it out, I could no longer get it out of my mind. Finishing elements include some sharper cloves, pencil shavings, and mixed greenery, but that popcorn note really delivers quite the finishing blow. It sounds really weird, but somehow I quite enjoyed this experience, especially on the soothing, sweet fade-out, which rolls over the tongue like maple candy.

Time for a double feature, maybe. Roll Conclave!

100 proof.

B+ / $300 / heavenhilldistillery.com 

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