Kentucky distiller Heaven Hill has launched Grain to Glass, a collection of three Kentucky whiskeys highlighting the farm-to-table aspect of whiskey making. In what will be an ongoing series, this first installment features a bourbon, a wheated bourbon, and a rye, priced at $100 each and available nationally with limited allocation.
Planning for this new collection began eight years ago when Heaven Hill formed a partnership with Indiana-based seed company Beck’s Hybrids, the largest family-owned retail seed company in the U.S. and third largest overall. Heaven Hill's distilling team worked with Beck’s on selecting hybrid corn seed varietals best suited for central Kentucky. To raise the crop, Heaven Hill chose Loretto, Kentucky-based Peterson Farms, a family-owned farming company with two locations in Nelson County—one of them directly across the street from Heaven Hill’s Bardstown headquarters. The other is just down the road from Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto. Peterson Farms is well known in the whiskey world for its grains, and in fact, is the only supplier of the red winter wheat that goes into Maker’s Mark. It also supplies grain for Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace.
Both the bourbon and wheated bourbon mashbills have higher secondary grain content than Heaven Hill’s core expressions. The bourbon is comprised of 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malted barley—compared to 78%/12%/10% for Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig expression. The wheater is made with 52% corn, 35% wheat, and 13% malted barley, while Heaven Hill’s wheated Larceny Barrel Proof is at 68%/20%/12%. The rye expression has a higher rye content than Heaven Hill’s ryes, at 63% compared to both Rittenhouse and Pikesville, which are at 51%.
These whiskeys were aged over six years at Heaven Hill’s Cox’s Creek rickhouse site. All are non-chill filtered. The label on each bottle features details of the specific corn seed varietal utilized from Beck’s Hybrids, the mashbill, and the distillation and release year. Label illustrations include a blueprint of Bernheim Distillery along with farm scenes.
Grain to Glass Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, and Rye: Key Facts
ABV: Bourbon (53.5%), Wheated Bourbon (60.5%), and Rye (61.6%)
SRP: $100
Availability: National but with limited allocation
