Classification: Straight Bourbon
Company: Heaven Hill
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Released: Ongoing
Proof: 100
Age: 10 Years
Mashbill: 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, and 10% Rye
Color: Amber

Henry McKenna came to America in 1837 from Ireland and settled in Kentucky where he set out to create a better bourbon using his family’s recipe. Today, Heaven Hill offers Henry McKenna Single Barrel which is aged for 10 years and satisfies the Bottled in Bond (BiB) requirements. To be labelled BiB, the whiskey must be the product of one distillation season and one distiller at a single distillery, aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years, and it must be bottled at exactly 100 proof. Additionally, the BiB label must clearly identify the distillery where it was distilled and where it was bottled, if different.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel shares the same mashbill as many other Heaven Hill brands (75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley). Though it carries an MSRP of $30, it tends to range in price from $25-$35. The bottle being reviewed is from barrel number 2068 which was barreled on 02/07/05.

NOSE

Traditional notes of caramel and vanilla play against a backdrop of seasoned oak. Alcohol mixes in and holds its weight against the other scents as you might expect for 100 proof. It’s not great but it’s not bad either.

PALATE

Vanilla and seasoned oak take the forefront, but are quickly balanced by a good dose of rye spice, a pop of burnt brown sugar, and a dollop of caramel. It’s not complex, but rather a fine balance of traditional bourbon flavors with just the right amounts of oak, spice, and sweeter elements contrasting one another in harmony. It has a satisfying mouthfeel and the 100 proof plays perfectly, providing just the right amount of burn without overdoing it.

FINISH

Medium length with a balanced tapering of the flavors and spicy burn from the palate. A hint of leather creeps in but doesn’t overpower the oak and vanilla which dominate here as in the palate. Despite 10 years in the barrel, it’s anything but over-oaked, though the oak is present from nose to finish affirming the barrel’s role in this bourbon’s maturation.

UNIQUENESS

Henry McKenna Single Barrel can be described as traditional; a quintessential bourbon flavor profile with the potential for subtle hints of magic if you happen to find a special barrel. While I will give some credit for uniqueness based on the fact that it’s a 10 year age stated BiB single barrel bourbon, I cannot say that those traits result in a unique flavor profile and as a result, carry less weight for me in this category than they might otherwise. But alas, the lack of a unique flavor profile is not always a bad thing, as a quintessential bourbon flavor profile is sometimes just what the doctor ordered.