Heaven Hill Distillery | Heaven Hill 27-Year-Old Barrel Proof

Heaven Hill 27-Year-Old Barrel Proof

This one-time, barrel-proof bottling is comprised of 27-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon produced between 1989 and 1990 at Old Heaven Hills Springs Distillery before it was destroyed by fire in 1996. Only 41 barrels of pre-fire Bourbon were included in this bottling, and when all barrels were mingled, the natural proof was an unusually low 94.7 proof. Produced from some of the oldest barrels in Kentucky, this Bourbon will make a profound statement on bar shelves and palates alike.

Proof: 94.7 Proof
Age: 27 Years Old

Tasting Notes

Color: Muted copper
Aroma: Dried fruits, baking spices, and pipe tobacco notes
Taste: Vanilla, floral, pepper & clove
Finish: Warm build up to a long yet soft finish

Explore Heaven Hill 27-Year-Old

The Bourbon in this exclusive, one-time bottling was distilled in 1989
and 1990 at the old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky,
before it was devastated by fire in 1996. Since then, more than 80%
of the Bourbon considered for this release was lost to evaporation
and circumstances beyond our control.
Only 41 barrels survived.

Follow their journey with our blockchain feature
and discover more about the production of our
27-year-old Bourbon.

Rickhouse G

LOCATION: Main Campus - Bardstown, KY

Barreling Date: 8/21/90 - 8/23/90

Barrels Used: 6 of 8
Aged on: Floors 2, 3 & 4
Average Proof: 85.75°
Average Yield: 21%

Of the five warehouses we pulled from, the barrels from this warehouse produced the lowest average proof, ranging between 79° and 94°. One of the two excluded barrels registered a proof of 112°, but presented with a bad taste disposition.

Rickhouse H

LOCATION: Main Campus - Bardstown, KY

Barreling Date: 5/17/89

Barrels Used: 1 of 1
Aged on: Floor 3
Average Proof: 112.70°
Average Yield: 16%

Rickhouse H is the furthest from our main plant, located behind Rickhouse G. Only one barrel, containing a scant eight gallons of Bourbon, was pulled from this location. Of the 41 barrels selected, just five were aged above the second floor—including this one.

Rickhouse p

LOCATION: Main Campus - Bardstown, KY

Barreling Date: 3/14/89 (barrel not used), 6/20/90 - 7/24/90

Barrels Used: 9 of 12
Aged on: Floor 2
Average Proof: 91.66°
Average Yield: 19%

Despite being aged all on the same floor, this warehouse produced barrels with the second-highest proof (131.9°) and the lowest proof (75.2°). The lower-proof barrel also yielded twice as much Bourbon as the other—proving how wildly unpredictable Bourbon-aging can be. A quarter of the barrels held in this location didn’t pass the taste test and were excluded from the final dump.

Rickhouse U

LOCATION: Main Campus - Bardstown, KY

Barreling Date: 9/20/90

Barrels Used: 24 of 39 (13 empty)
Aged on: Floor 1 & 2
Average Proof: 101.62°
Average Yield: 22%

Rickhouse U provided the most barrels for this product, including the highest-proof barrel at 132.9°. It was also the only warehouse to contain barrels that fully evaporated after 27 years. Of those that remained, a barrel from the second floor was the highest-yielding (36%) and one from the first floor was the lowest (7%). Both had proof points north of 100.

Rickhouse Y

LOCATION: Main Campus - Bardstown, KY

Barreling Date: 2/21/89

Barrels Used: 1 of 1
Aged on: Floor 2
Average Proof: 125.90°
Average Yield: 21%

Warehouse Y sits adjacent to our main plant and is frequented by visitors of our Bourbon Heritage Center. It was one of two warehouses, along with Warehouse H, to yield a single barrel. Of the two, this barrel was higher in proof and as well as volume.

DUMPING

LOCATION: Main Plant - 1064 Loretto Road, Bardstown, KY

Dumping Date: 10/28/2017

In 1990, 3,233 gallons of Bourbon went into 61 barrels for this product. By 2017, 13 of them were fully evaporated when it came time to dump in stainless steel drums to stop the aging process and seven of them didn’t pass taste testing. That left us with 41 barrels containing under 600 gallons. More than 80% of our original liquid was lost over the course of 27 years.

MINGLING

LOCATION: Main Plant - 1064 Loretto Road, Bardstown, KY

Mingling Date: 11/8/2017

After mingling the remaining 41 barrels for botting, our natural barrel proof averaged out to a smooth—and unusually low—94.7. With the exception of five barrels, most of the Bourbon was aged on the first and second floors of our rickhouses, in a zone where temperatures and humidity caused proofs to drop.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

Our highest-yielding barrel in this production held 19 gallons at dump time, while the lowest contained 4: the equivalent of 95 and 18 bottles, respectively. When all was said and done, we bottled 2,820 bottles for this historic release—and we think it was worth the 27-year wait.