I just spoke with my source from Heaven Hill and got the scoop on the new Parker’s Heritage Collection, which will be released in the fall. The information I have is official, not speculation. It’s going to be a 27 year old bourbon, bottled at 96 proof. (This is not barrel proof.)

Yes, that makes it one of the oldest bourbons on the market. (Coincidentally, Preiss Imports is about to release 25 and 28 year old bourbons under the Hirsch label.)  I was told that the intent is not to push the envelope on age, but rather that Parker Beam chose this over a short list of other ages based on the quality of the whiskey. (Apparently a group of 15 year old bourbons came in a close second.)

This will be the only bottling of Parker’s Heritage Collection for 2008. (You might recall that last year’s debut release actually was three different bottlings at three different proofs.) For the new release, the whiskey comes from a little more than 100 barrels on the third floor of Warehouse U, yielding about 6,600 bottles. This is slightly more than last year’s release. The price? About $200.

Beginning in 2009, the Parker’s Heritage Collection will consist of two different releases, one bourbon, and one which will be a different style of American whiskey (corn, wheat, rye, etc.).

I’m getting an advance sample of this whiskey to review, which I should have by early next week. I’ll let you know what I think.