Heaven Hill Grain To Glass Rye Whiskey
Heaven Hill Grain To Glass Rye Whiskey is a 61.6% ABV (123.2 proof), 750mL Kentucky straight rye whiskey — the First Edition (2024) of Heaven Hill's seed-to-bottle series, six years old and bottled at barrel proof without chill filtration. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 61.6% (123.2 proof) — barrel proof, non-chill filtered
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 6 years (distilled 2017)
- Mash bill: 63% rye, 24% corn, 13% malted barley
- Corn varietal: Beck's 6158, grown by Peterson Farms in Nelson County, Kentucky
- Aging: Rickhouse W3, floors 3, 4 and 5, at Cox's Creek
- Release: First Edition, June 2024 — an annual seed-to-bottle series
- Origin: Kentucky, USA
From a Named Corn Seed to the Glass
Grain to Glass began more than eight years before its 2024 launch as the brainchild of Heaven Hill Executive Chairman Max Shapira, built on transparency from seed to aged liquid. Each year, Master Distiller Conor O'Driscoll works with Beck's Hybrids — the Indiana family seed company founded in 1937 — to hand-select a single corn seed varietal suited to Central Kentucky growing conditions; Peterson Farms then grows it in Nelson County, on one of two sites, one directly across the street from Heaven Hill's Bardstown facility. For the First Edition the varietal was Beck's 6158, chosen in part for its higher-than-typical starch content, and it went into a rye mash bill — 63% rye, 24% corn, 13% malted barley — deliberately unlike Heaven Hill's traditional rye recipe. The rye was the only barrel-proof bottling of the inaugural trio. Browse the Heaven Hill collection and more whisky at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Heaven Hill's own notes: pale mahogany in colour; dried flowers and grasses with toasted oak on the aroma; big butterscotch and caramel with dense, complex spices and a touch of cigar tobacco on the palate; and a finish where the spiciness keeps building with a big cinnamon note, charred oak and a hint of campfire smoke at the last.
How to Enjoy
Start neat if you like your rye at full voice, then add water a few drops at a time — at 123.2 proof there is a lot of spice and caramel to unfold. It also stands up in a Manhattan or Sazerac without disappearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye? The First Edition (2024) Kentucky straight rye in Heaven Hill's annual seed-to-bottle series, made with a unique mash bill (63% rye, 24% corn, 13% malted barley) built around a single hand-selected corn varietal, Beck's 6158, grown by Peterson Farms in Nelson County, Kentucky.
What proof is Grain to Glass Rye? 123.2 proof (61.6% ABV) — bottled at barrel proof without chill filtration; it was the only barrel-proof bottling in the inaugural trio.
How old is Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye? Six years — distilled in 2017, aged in Rickhouse W3 (floors 3–5) at Cox's Creek, and released in June 2024.
What corn is used in Grain to Glass? A different Beck's Hybrids varietal is chosen each year; the First Edition used Beck's 6158, selected for Central Kentucky conditions and grown by Peterson Farms near the Bardstown distillery.
Seed, mash bill and barrel proof, all on the record — order Heaven Hill Grain To Glass Rye Whiskey online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
