Distillery: Heaven Hill
Proof: 100
Age: 10 Years
Mashbill: 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye
BACKGROUND: Henry McKenna originally moved to the states from Ireland in 1837 to Kentucky. He had a dream of using his family's recipe to create a better bourbon. Almost 200 years later Heaven Hill produces their 10 year single barrel expression as and ode to him. McKenna Single barrel is bottled in bond meaning it was produced in 1 distillation season and aged for at least 4 years.
NOSE: Sweet notes of vanilla and caramel immediately jumps at you leaving you questioning the proof. As the glass opens up the oakier notes start to show with a light undertone of brown sugar and molasses. (21/25)
PALATE: A bold palate with a medium mouthfeel, as you swirl around the first sip, notes of vanilla and old oak stand out. As time passes the rye starts to show itself with delightful spice notes balancing the sweetness. The back end of the palate is a mirage between sweet brown sugar and hot spice from the 100 proof leaving you on your toes waiting for the next sip. (33/40)
FINISH: A longer finish picking up right where the palate left off, as the sweet vanilla and caramel notes start falling off, the oak and rye spice grab a hold of the inside of your mouth leaving it tingling from heat with an ever so slight leather taste. (22/25)
VALUE: For $30 this is definitely one of the best bourbons for the price you are paying on the market. Most 10 year single barrels are sold in the $50-$75 range, and that's before secondary (8/10)
Overall: 84/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Henry McKenna is a delightful bottle for the price it is offered, packed with a very traditional profile that allows it to be often forgotten, but for $30 this is a great buy for any whiskey drinker.
Slightly Better Whiskey: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
Equal Whiskey: Old Grandad 114
Slightly Worse Whiskey: Knob Creek 9
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away