BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Heaven Hill Distillery is marking a milestone for one of its most coveted annual whiskey releases with the 20th edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection, a 14-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey made using rye backset and bottled at a robust 118 proof.
The limited-edition 2026 release continues a series created to honor the legacy of the late Parker Beam, Heaven Hill’s longtime master distiller emeritus and a towering figure in Kentucky bourbon.
This year’s Parker’s Heritage Collection is drawn from just 100 barrels of bourbon distilled between October 2011 and January 2012. The whiskey was produced using Heaven Hill’s traditional bourbon mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley before aging for 14 years.
The barrels were selected from four Heaven Hill rickhouses and several different floors. Barrels came from the second floor of Rickhouse A, the first and second floors of Rickhouse KK and the third floors of Rickhouses L and M.
What makes the 20th edition particularly interesting is Heaven Hill’s use of rye backset during fermentation, a production technique closely associated with Beam.
Backset is a portion of liquid remaining after distillation that is reused during the production of the next batch of whiskey. For this release, rye backset was incorporated during fermentation to help develop flavor and maintain consistency. Heaven Hill says the process contributes additional spicy depth while maintaining the balance expected from a bourbon that has spent 14 years in oak.
“The Parker’s Heritage Collection has allowed us to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Parker Beam — his passion, his craft and the lasting impact he had on Heaven Hill and American Whiskey,” Max Shapira, executive chairman of Heaven Hill, said. “We are proud that each release carries forward both his memory and his enduring commitment to doing things the right way.”
Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll said the production technique illustrates Beam’s attention to seemingly small details that could ultimately influence the whiskey in the glass.
“Parker understood that the smallest details in the whiskey making process can have a meaningful impact on the final pour,” O’Driscoll said. “This edition reflects that belief, using rye backset to create a 14-year-old Bourbon with remarkable depth, balance and spice.”
The 2026 Parker’s Heritage Collection is bottled at barrel proof at 118 proof, or 59% alcohol by volume, and is non-chill filtered. The suggested retail price is $199.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.
The bourbon will begin reaching retailers nationwide in limited quantities in September, with select bottles also destined for international markets.
For collectors, the combination of a 14-year age statement, barrel-proof presentation, a production run drawn from only 100 barrels and the significance of the collection’s 20th edition should make the 2026 Parker’s Heritage Collection one of the more closely watched limited Kentucky bourbon releases of the year.
The Parker’s Heritage Collection has developed a loyal following because Heaven Hill has used the series to explore different facets of American whiskey rather than simply repeating the same formula each year. Releases have varied in age, proof, mashbill, barrel selection, finishing and production techniques while maintaining a connection to Beam’s approach to whiskey making.
The 20th edition brings that connection directly into the production process through the use of rye backset, a technique Heaven Hill says Beam championed during his career.
Beam was diagnosed in 2010 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He died in 2017 after a career that spanned more than five decades in Kentucky whiskey.
The Parker’s Heritage Collection has since become more than a tribute to his whiskey-making legacy.
As with previous editions, Heaven Hill will donate a portion of the proceeds from every bottle of the 2026 release to the ALS Association to support ALS research and patient care. Heaven Hill said the Parker’s Heritage program has generated more than $1.4 million in donations to the organization to date.
More information about the charitable effort is available through the Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund.
Two decades into the series, Parker’s Heritage Collection remains one of Heaven Hill’s signature limited releases. This year’s bottle offers collectors something particularly fitting for the anniversary: an old Kentucky bourbon built around a whiskey-making technique championed by the man whose name remains on every bottle.
