Distillery: Undisclosed (rumored to be George Dickel)
Proof: 108
Age: 5+ Years
Mashbill: Undisclosed Tennessee straight bourbon whiskey
Price: $79.99
Company
Established in 2015, Heaven’s Door Spirits is the result of an exclusive partnership between famed musician Bob Dylan and the Spirits Investment Partnership (“SIP”).
The brand has distinguished itself by winning multiple awards, including the prestigious #1 Consumer Choice Award at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Heaven’s Door offers a variety of premium whiskies, such as straight bourbon, double barrel whiskey, and straight rye whiskey.
Production
Here’s what they stated in the press release they sent us:
“The collection’s debut release is deeply rooted in French influence, with meticulously incorporated elements of product, wood, and technique. The foundation comprises a blend of Heaven’s Door’s award-winning Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, culminating in a masterful finish inside freshly dumped Calvados Brandy casks before introducing an additional layer of complexity through medium-heavy toasted French oak staves.
Calvados, an apple brandy from Normandy, France, matures for at least two years in French Oak Casks. This imparts sought-after characteristics like fresh apple cider and baked apple brandy to the bourbon.
‘Our new medium-heavy toasted French oak staves bring forth balanced complexity and enhanced aroma, culminating in a dark color and a smoother, creamier mouthfeel, providing a truly enriched flavor experience,’ said Alex Moore. The heavy toast enhances baking notes associated with apples, including brown sugar, pastry, caramel, and biscuits.”
Heaven’s Door Exploration Series 1 Review: Tasting Notes
Nose – 3.5/5
Deep caramel, apple, raisin, orange peel, and oak. The citrusy note from the Calvados finish is a nice touch that’s noticed pretty much immediately. This is a rich and fruity nose that gives an unexpected spin to the normal Heaven’s Door aroma.
Palate – 3.5/5
Heavy oak and heat that fades into caramel, apple, leather, and light vanilla. A bit surprising how much oak it starts off with, but then it fades pretty quickly into the notes you’d expect from the nose. It’s a nice spin on the traditional Heaven’s Door profile.
Finish – 3/5
Lots going on during the finish. It starts with a similar experience as the palate where heavy oak and spice fade into sweeter caramel apple notes (but not as sweet as the palate). It leaves you with a nice lingering mouthfeel that strikes a solid balance between sweet and spicy.
This is a lot dryer than the palate and has mostly notes of pepper, oak, orange peel, and caramel. I found myself satisfied but also wishing the same notes from the palate and nose carried through stronger to the finish.
Value – 3/5
This is another great release from Heaven’s Door that is spicier and more “citrusy” than other releases. It gives you a solid changeup if you’re looking for something different than the stereotypical “raisin bread” notes HD normally has.
I think this is more of a $50 bourbon, so I’m a little hesitant on the value at $79.99. I don’t think you’d regret buying a bottle at that price, but it reminds me of a stronger Penelope which is under the $50 mark.
Heaven’s Door Exploration Series 1 Review: The Verdict
3.25/5
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 4.25 – 5
- Gold – 3.25 – 4.24
- Silver – 2.75 – 3.24
- Bronze – <2.75
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.