Heaven’s Door Kicks Off ‘Exploration Series’ With a Delicious Bourbon Finished in Apple Brandy Casks

On Wednesday, Heaven’s Door, the whiskey brand founded by Bob Dylan, announced a new whiskey collection: The Exploration Series.

Led by Heaven’s Door Master Distiller Ken Pierce and Master Blender Alex Moore, The Exploration Series will experiment with different finishing techniques and debuts with Exploration Series I – Calvados Finish.

A 5-year-old Tennessee whiskey, Exploration Series I was finished in freshly dumped Calvados Brandy casks and bottled at 108 proof. It has a suggested retail price of $79.99 and can be purchased here or found at select retailers around the U.S.

Calvados is an apple brandy from Normandy, France, which is aged at least two years in French oak casks.

“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,” Moore said in a news release.

Heaven’s Door will release two Exploration Series whiskeys each year.

Tasting Heaven’s Door Exploration Series I – Calvados Finish

I had a chance to taste the first Heaven’s Door Exploration Series whiskey ahead of its release and came away highly impressed.

Sweet and enticing, this expression has a big, beautiful caramel apple profile on the nose with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecan rolls filling in the gaps. The palate is pleasantly viscous with plenty of calvados influence. There’s more caramel apple, sweet milk chocolate, cherry, orange and a kiss of oak and tobacco. The finish is long with more apple, tobacco, nectarine, brioche and cocoa.

This is a tremendous, big and bright bourbon and perhaps the best new whiskey I’ve tasted in 2024 to this point (granted, it’s only February). This isn’t the most complex Heaven’s Door release to date, but it is my favorite.

Keep an eye out for our official review of this whiskey. In the meantime, you can check out our First T8ke video on it below:

Join the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club, where you will receive hard-to-find bottles curated by Whiskey Raiders staff with a 90+ rating on whiskeyraiders.com plus live virtual tastings. Sign up here!