Square 6 High-Rye Bourbon by Evan Williams

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Have you ever wanted to see a group of people roll a whiskey barrel down Main Street Louisville? Well, if you were in downtown Louisville in May of 2021, you just might have gotten to do just that. According to the 2021 press release of tonight’s bourbon, Heaven Hill Distillery President Max Shapira, Artisanal Distiller Jodie Filiatreau, Artisanal Distiller Emeritus Charlie Downs, Louisville Tourism President & CEO Karen Williams, and Louisville Tourism Chief Operating Officer Cleo Battle celebrated the release of the first batch of Square 6 by rolling a barrel of it down the street.

Ok, so what is Square 6? Because if you are like me and haven’t visited the Even Williams Bourobn Experience in the last couple of years, you might not be aware.

In May 2021, Heaven Hill Distillery announced the launch of Square 6 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the first bottled Bourbon produced at their artisanal distillery in the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. The Square 6 name pays homage to the original plot where Evan Williams built Kentucky's first commercial distillery in 1783, sharing the same block as the current Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. The High Rye Bourbon, distilled and cared for by Artisanal Distiller Emeritus Charlie Downs and Artisanal Distiller Jodie Filiatreau, features a unique mashbill of 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malted barley and is bottled at 95° proof with a suggested price of $89.99.

I became aware of this release when Heaven Hill kindly sent me samples of all three Square 6 releases to celebrate last month’s release of a new addition to the Square 6 lineup. Now, pretty much everything produced by Heaven Hill is at least good, right? So there is no way that this could be a less-than-pleasant experience…right?

Square 6 High-Rye Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was kindly provided by Heaven Hill for Review purposes. The suggested retail price is $89.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.00

Details: 47.5% ABV. Mash bill: 52% corn, 35% rye, and 13% malted barley.

Nose: Wood shavings, cedar, raisins, and chocolate.

Mouth: Cinnamon, nutmeg, raisin, cedar, and mint.

Finish: Medium length and warm. Notes of cinnamon, malt, nutmeg, mint, vanilla, and leather.

Thoughts: When you think of Heaven Hill bourbon, this is not what you think of. This tastes much more like a craft bourbon than one made by one of bourbon's largest producers. And I don't mean that as a compliment. This tastes like an early craft bourbon from before the industry found its footing. I am not a fan…at all. I think this is the first dislike rating I’ve ever given a Heaven Hill release. I’m shocked. But, hey, your mileage may vary. I’m not a fan of malt whiskey, especially when combined with the American Straight Whiskey aging process. And this had a lot of malt notes that just aren’t translating well for my palate. I also dislike raisins. A lot. So that isn’t helping either.

All in all, I’d skip this one if your palate aligns with mine. But if you think it sounds tasty, see if they offer samples at the distillery or if they have it at one of the many bars down the street before you drop a hundred bucks on a full bottle.

Stay tuned for reviews of the other releases in the Square 6 line in the coming days. They do get better…


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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B523

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

There was a time when Elijah Craig had a twelve-year age statement. Eventually, Heaven Hill decided to retire that age statement to give themselves more flexibility to blend it to taste rather than age. At the time, I was upset, but looking back on the decision from the future, I think Heaven Hill made the right choice in reserving that twelve-year age statement for the barrel-proof version of Elijah Craig. We discussed this in detail back in January.

Well, that age statement is currently no more. As of B523, they have removed the standard 12-year-old age statement in favor of a “per batch” age statement. If you frequently perform searches of the TTB’s COLA database, you may have seen this coming as I did. I’ve got at least one extra bottle of C922 stashed away for the future, just in case things take a turn for the worse with this change. For the time being, however, this seems to be another change in the name of flexibility instead of the “we are running out of stocks! Quick, make it younger!” changes of the early- to mid-2010s. In fact, they have already announced that next quarter’s release will be in the thirteen-year-old range. Here’s what Heaven Hill has to say about the change:

Starting with the enclosed B523 expression, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof will now be barreled in small batches with varying age statements. Each batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof will have its own unique taste profile and proof, as in years past, and now a unique age statement that will retain the extra-aged characteristic the brand is known for. All other qualities of the series remain the same - non-chill-filtered and uncut to preserve all the natural esters and taste components from the barrels to the bottle. The variance in proof, and now age, from batch to batch is an exercise for true whiskey aficionados to experience the consistency in quality across the series while allowing for the unique intricacies of each batch to pull forward.

Each face label will detail the lowest age of the barrel within the batch, as legally required. The transition of the age from the side to the face label will also show more transparent details down to the month, regardless of how large or small the quantity of the lowest aged barrels in that edition. Batches will be determined to taste and quality by the master tasting team – Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll, Master Taster Tawnie Gootee and Vice President of New Product Development and Quality Assurance Chris Briney. This change allows for a true small batch selection process to happen, selecting the best extra-aged stocks that make for phenomenal taste experiences.

Ok. Now onto the most important part: how does it taste?

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B523

Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: Age: 11 years, 5 months. 62.1% ABV.

Nose: Oak, caramel, cinnamon.

Mouth: Very hot in the mouth. Oak, apple, caramel, cinnamon red-hot candies, and ginger.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of apple, ginger, caramel, and oak on the finish.

Comparison to A123: The noses are similar, though A123 is sweeter. The mouth on B523 is much hotter, spicier, and more oak-forward.

Thoughts: This release screams for water, the addition of which not only tames the heat but allows it to sit in your mouth long enough to get flavors other than "HOT!" out of it. Let's just say that after this, my palate is blown out. If I was going to choose between this release and the last, A123 wins hands down. A123 was a very good batch, so it was a good send-off for the 12-year age statement. That said, if you are ok adding ice or water to it, B523 is still pretty tasty. I found it impossible to drink neat (and to be honest, you probably shouldn’t be drinking 120+ proof whiskey neat anyway).


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Larceny Barrel Proof, B523

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

My extended family has had a lot of bad news over the past few weeks. We’ve had multiple funerals, one for my brother-in-law and one for my wife’s cousin, which made the news. The second was a little harder because the death happened during the first funeral. On top of that, we’ve also had rebellious teenagers doing very stupid things. And due to the emotional fallout from all of that, we’ve had elderly relatives that are having a hard time of things. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.

Now, I’m not directly involved in any of these bad things. But so many people that I love have been affected that, emotionally, it’s making it hard to be creative. So if I cut this one a little short tonight, cut me a little slack. Luckily for us, this is a product that we have covered quite a bit in the past.

As you may have guessed from its clever name, Larceny Barrel Proof is a barrel-proof version of Larceny bourbon. It is always delicious and usually quite hot. This one clocks in at 124.4° proof. The bourbons used in this batch are between six and eight years old. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Larceny Barrel Proof, B523

Purchase Info: This sample bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $4.00

Details: 62.2% ABV

Nose: Cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, and brown sugar.

Mouth: Cinnamon, honey, mint, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of cinnamon, mint, oak, and honey.

Thoughts: As usual, this is delicious. It's strange, though. It's very drinkable at full proof, yet also very hot if you do more than “sip and swallow.” Still, I'd use a splash of water or a piece of ice with this one. It takes it well, and the water tames some of the heat, accentuating the sweetness.

Comparison to A123: B523 is much sweeter on the nose. A123 is sweeter and not as hot in the mouth. A123 still has some heat, don't get me wrong. But the heat is more a "capsaicin-style" heat than a "cinnamon red hot style" heat. Both are delicious, but if forced to choose, I think I'd go with B523.


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Bernheim Barrel Proof, A223

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: The new Bernheim Barrel Proof. 118.8 proof. Batch A223

I have the distinct pleasure of watching a puppy this week. He’s only about five months old, so there is a lot of energy. So much so that his usually energetic older brother was asleep shortly after arrival as other pups took over the duty of playing with the baby. It also means that I am saying a lot of things like: “Get out of there.” “Where did you get that?” and, of course, “Get that out of your mouth!”

I have to be on my toes. If things get too noisy, I get nervous. I get even more so when they get quiet. Which, as you might have guessed, makes tasting whiskey a little hard to do. And explains where I was on Tuesday. Well, that and it was Valentine’s Day, so I spent the evening with my wife, chasing the puppy around to get “whatever it was that he found this time” out of his mouth. Puppies are a lot of work, but at the end of the day, my reward is a sleepy little puppy who resembles nothing more than a wet noodle.

But you aren’t here to hear about my new little buddy. You want to know about the newest barrel-proof release from Heaven Hill. Well, as you might expect, Bernheim Barrel Proof is a barrel-proof version of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey. Being a wheat whiskey means that the mash bill used to create it is at least 51% wheat. In this case, it is exactly 51% wheat, with the other grains used being corn (37%) and malted barley (12%). The press release claims that, just like the standard bottling, this is at least seven years old.

This looks like it will be a twice-yearly release, with the second installment coming in the fall of 2023. But enough of that, let’s see how it tastes.

Bernheim Barrel Proof, A223

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $64.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: 59.4% ABV. Mashbill: 51% Wheat, 37% corn, 12% Malted Barley. 7 to 9 years old (per the press release).

Nose: Brown sugar, spearmint, caramel, and a nutty note.

Mouth: Hot and spicy. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, spearmint, almond, and a bready note (that last especially with a bit of water).

Finish: Hot and medium to long. Follows the mouth with notes of cinnamon, almond, and spearmint.

IMAGE: This made me smile, so I gave it a smiley face.

Thoughts: When neat, I think this is just a little too hot. That isn't such a big deal for me since I usually enjoy a small piece of ice in anything over 100° proof. Speaking of water, a little water accentuates the "bread," notes, and tames the heat. I like it, but not as much as the Elijah Craig or Larceny Barrel Proof whiskeys. My wife disagrees and says it is just as good as the other two.


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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A123

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

On tap tonight, we have Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. We looked at the whiskey’s stable-mate on Tuesday going in-depth on what Larceny Barrel Proof is and what the labeling means. Tonight, I think we are going to jump right into taking a look at the whiskey. By the way, according to the press release, this is the start of the 11th year of Heaven Hill’s line of products. So Happy Anniversary to them! Can you believe it has been that long? Man. I’m getting old.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A123

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is: $69.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 12 years old, 62.8% ABV. Non-chill filtered. Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley

Nose: Cinnamon, chocolate, leather, red fruits, nutmeg, and oak.

Mouth: First Sip is hot and oaky. Notes of caramel toffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, and leather

Finish: Long and warm. Notes of leather, oak, nutmeg, and red fruits.

Comparison to C922: A123 has a much more vibrant nose. By comparison, C922 guards its secrets much more closely. A123 is hotter and focuses on leather and baking spice notes when compared to the dark chocolate and nougat that C922 is showing. Both finishes are long and warm and basically follow their mouths. Both are excellent and I'm having a hard time choosing between them. Can’t I just have both?

Thoughts: Another home run in a long line of them. If a bourbon could be put into a hall of fame, the entire Elijah Craig Barrel Proof line-up would go in on the first ballot.


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