Heaven Hill Distillery announced the inaugural release of the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Specialty Barrel Series, an extension of its acclaimed Grain to Glass line. 

The 2025 Specialty Barrel Series features three Kentucky Whiskeys: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey, and Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, each fully aged for six years in Chinquapin Oak barrels hand selected by Heaven Hill’s distilling team in collaboration with Independent Stave Company. 

These unique barrels impart distinctive characteristics, delivering a rich and innovative dimension to the beloved Grain to Glass mashbills.

Honoring Legacy, Innovation, and Partnership

Heaven Hill Grain to Glass begins with a single seed. Each year, Heaven Hill partners with Beck’s Hybrids, a family-owned seed company in Indiana, to identify a corn varietal ideally suited for Central Kentucky soils. For the 2025 release, Beck’s 6225 was chosen and grown by multi-generational, family-run Peterson Farms in Nelson County, Ky. just across the road from Heaven Hill’s Bardstown campus.

“Since the founding of Heaven Hill, our family has remained committed to looking at the long term, building products and partnerships meant to endure,” Max Shapira, Heaven Hill Executive Chairman, said in a news release. “The Specialty Barrel Series reflects both innovation and transparency, extending our Grain to Glass vision while honoring the legacy that defines our distillery.”

The Influence of Chinquapin Oak‍

Unlike the Traditional Grain to Glass releases, which are aged in #3 char white oak barrels, the Specialty Barrel Series explores new dimensions of maturation. For this inaugural release, the whiskeys were fully aged in Chinquapin Oak, a distinct species of American white oak native to Central and Eastern North America. Known for its higher vanillin content, Chinquapin Oak imparts butterscotch, crème brûlée, toasted nut, chocolate, and coffee notes, and creating a layered finish.

“Selecting Chinquapin Oak for the first Specialty Barrel Series was an exciting opportunity to deepen our exploration of wood and whiskey,” Conor O’Driscoll, Heaven Hill Master Distiller, said. “These barrels highlight the interplay between grain and oak in a way that elevates the mashbills, allowing each whiskey’s character to shine at barrel proof.”

Expressions in the 2025 Specialty Barrel Series:

• Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 105 proof
  Mashbill: 52% Corn, 35% Rye, 13% Malt
• Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey – 105 proof
  Mashbill: 52% Corn, 35% Wheat, 13% Malt
• Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey – 107 proof
  Mashbill: 63% Rye, 24% Corn, 13% Malt

Each expression was barreled at 107 proof, honoring the historic entry proof used by Heaven Hill’s founders, and bottled non-chill filtered at selected proofs to preserve the bold, distinctive flavors imparted by the Chinquapin Oak.

The 2025 Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Specialty Barrel Series is an allocated release available nationally beginning in November 2025 in limited quantities at an MSRP of $129.99. Each is offered in a 700ml bespoke bottle proudly embossed with “Family Owned Since 1935.”  

The bottle features jewel-toned labels unique to each mashbill, a gold-coin cork insert, and a tax strip calling out the Chinquapin Oak barrels. In keeping with the brand’s focus on transparency, each label also details the corn varietal, mashbill, and distillation and release years, complemented by custom illustrations that nod to Bernheim Distillery and Kentucky’s farming traditions.

Read more: Heaven Hill Releases Grain to Glass Wheated Bourbon

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY

Founded in Kentucky by the Shapira family in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery continues its legacy as one of the foremost American Whiskey producers. Today, Heaven Hill Distillery maintains over 2 million barrels aging in more than 70 warehouses throughout Nelson and Jefferson Counties. For more information, please visit www.heavenhilldistillery.com.