Heaven Hill Gift Set

This gift set pairs bourbon from Heaven Hill with whatever accessories or extras are packed in the box. The listing doesn't specify the contents, bottle size, proof or age, so check the packaging for those. What can be said with confidence is how bourbon of this kind behaves. By U.S. rules it is made from a mashbill of at least 51 percent corn and matured in new charred oak. That is why styles like this usually lead with caramel, vanilla and toasted oak over a sweet corn base, with a little baking spice from the rye or wheat in the recipe. For first tasting, pour about an ounce into a Glencairn glass and nose it before sipping. The tapered rim concentrates the vanilla and oak aromas, and it gives you a better read on the bourbon's sweetness and spice than a wide tumbler does. If the proof turns out to be high, a few drops of room-temperature water will loosen the alcohol heat and bring out the sweeter, fruitier notes. A single large ice cube in a rocks glass is the better choice for slower sipping, because it chills the bourbon with little dilution. Many bourbons also come across spicier and tighter when served very cold, so start neat or with a splash of water. In cocktails, a bourbon at this level works well in an Old Fashioned. Stir two ounces with a sugar cube or a teaspoon of simple syrup and two dashes of Angostura bitters over ice, then add an orange peel. A Whiskey Sour suits the corn sweetness: shake two ounces with three-quarters of an ounce of lemon juice and three-quarters of an ounce of simple syrup, and add egg white if you want a silkier texture. For a Manhattan, stir two ounces of bourbon with an ounce of sweet vermouth and a couple of dashes of bitters, and garnish with a cherry. For a simple highball, pour one part bourbon over ice and top with three parts ginger ale or soda, with a lemon wedge on the side. If the set includes glasses, the rocks tumblers will suit the Old Fashioned and sipping over ice. Because the bottle and extras make this a ready-wrapped present, it will suit anyone who already keeps bourbon on the shelf.