Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey - First Edition
- May 29, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
About This Spirit from the Maker
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass represents our long-standing commitment to craft, transparency and quality. Each year, we select a specific corn seed varietal, which we proudly display on the label alongside the unique mashbill. The corn seed varietal chosen for the first edition was Beck’s 6158.
Distilled in 2017, the first edition of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass went into the barrel at 125 proof and aged for six years in rickhouse W3 on the third, fourth, and fifth floors. It was bottled without chill filtration at barrel proof, 107 proof.
Proof: 107
Age: 6
Source: Bottle
Mash Bill: Rye 35% | Corn 52% | Malt 13%
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass® highlights this commitment to family and quality by partnering with two family-owned businesses, and taking quality and transparency one step further - starting with the seed.
Crafting Grain to Glass
While many hands were involved in developing Heaven Hill Grain to Glass, it wouldn’t have been possible without a few instrumental people. Hear straight from these key players as they meet up to taste the finished product for the first time.
The story of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass begins with the seed. Each year, our master distiller works closely with the team at Beck’s Hybrids to identify the ideal non-GMO corn seed varietal that will grow best in Central Kentucky: one that will ultimately yield the best corn for Whiskey-making. Beck’s 6158 was our selection for the first edition of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass.
Three Families, One Line of Whiskey
Family-owned businesses are built differently—in the way we prioritize people, quality and our traditions. For Heaven Hill Grain to Glass, we partnered with two like-minded companies, Beck’s Hybrids and Peterson Farms, which share our commitment to quality and a passion that’s been passed down for generations.
About This Spirit from the Whisky Advocate
Grain-to-glass whiskeys typically come from smaller farm distillers, so when the term is used by a larger distiller, people are often wary. But Heaven Hill has crafted an excellent version, working with Indiana-based seed company Beck’s Hybrids and Peterson Farms in Kentucky to grow the grain, some of it in fields across from Heaven Hill's warehouses. The mashbill has a high rye content of 35%—roughly three times more than Heaven Hill’s other bourbons. You can taste its spicy influence amid flavors of vanilla, almond, chocolate, cinnamon, and coffee, accented by licorice, orange, and jalapeño pepper spice. —David Fleming
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
How We Feel About the Spirit
Heaven Hill Grain‑to‑Glass Bourbon Review: A Kentucky Classic Worth the Wait
Written by Nancy Fae for His, Hers & the Good Life
Introduction
The inaugural year of the Sipping Room will always feel a little legendary — our quest to collect Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 of 2024 became part treasure hunt, part obsession, and part family adventure. Bottle by bottle, we built a collection that told the story of a year spent chasing excellence. Nineteen bottles found their way home, each with its own tale of discovery.
Heaven Hill’s Grain‑to‑Glass Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Distilled in 2017, released in 2024, and crowned #5 on Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 — was one of the surprises. We weren’t wandering an aisle or strolling through an ABC store this time. Instead, we were surfing Total Wine’s online listings, half‑hopeful and half‑skeptical that anything from the Top 20 would still be hiding in the digital shelves. And there it was. Score 94. ABV 53.5%. A $100 bottle with a pedigree and a promise.
We haven’t opened it yet. That’s part of the fun. This one feels destined for a blind tasting — an honest test to see whether we can taste what made it #5 of 2024.
His Take (Jeff)
There’s something about a Heaven Hill bottle that feels familiar, almost like shaking hands with an old friend. But this one — this Grain‑to‑Glass release — has a different energy. It’s not just a bourbon; it’s a statement from a distillery that knows exactly what it’s doing.
When Nancy Fae showed me the listing on Total Wine, I didn’t believe it at first. Top 20 bottles don’t just sit around waiting to be found. But there it was, staring back at us like it had been saving its spot for the Sipping Room.
I’m excited for the blind tasting. Heaven Hill has a way of balancing tradition with innovation, and I want to see if this bottle carries that signature depth — the kind that starts with grain and ends with a grin. My guess? It’s going to be bold, structured, and unapologetically Kentucky.
Her Take (Nancy Fae)
This bottle feels like a chapter in our Sipping Room story — one of those moments where the hunt meets the heart. I remember the thrill of seeing it online, the quick glance at the score, the quiet “Oh my goodness” that escaped before I even realized it.
Heaven Hill’s Grain‑to‑Glass release has an aura of craftsmanship. Not flashy. Not loud. Just confident. The kind of bourbon that knows its worth without needing to announce it.
I’m saving my impressions for the blind tasting, but I already love the bottle’s presence. It looks like it belongs in our collection — like it was meant to be part of this inaugural year. And I’m curious to see whether its flavor matches the elegance of its story.
Closing in the His, Hers & the Good Life Style
His (Jeff)
This bottle reminds me why we started the Sipping Room — to chase the best, to learn, to taste, and to enjoy the journey. Heaven Hill Grain‑to‑Glass feels like a reward for the effort.
Her (Nancy Fae)
For me, this bottle is a celebration of discovery. It’s proof that the hunt can be just as joyful as the pour. I can’t wait to see how it performs in our blind tasting lineup.
The Good Life
The Good Life is built on moments — finding a rare bottle online, adding it to a collection built with intention, and anticipating the first sip. Heaven Hill Grain‑to‑Glass fits right in. It’s a bottle with heritage, craftsmanship, and a place in our story.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
How to Enjoy
Neat first. At 53.5% ABV, the proof deserves respect and rewards patience.
Blind tasting. Let the bourbon speak without labels or expectations.
A drop of water. Opens the grain‑driven complexity and softens the edges.
Slow sipping. This is not a rush‑through bourbon; it’s a savor‑the‑moment bourbon.
Pair with quiet. A porch evening, a leather chair, or a soft playlist—whatever your version of calm looks like.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age.
Disclaimer: Cigar smoking and drinking alcohol are for adults of legal smoking and drinking age. Life’s Rants promotes the responsible and legal enjoyment of premium cigars and alcohol by individuals of legal age. We do not endorse or encourage smoking or drinking among minors.
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