Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year Old
Disclaimer: I haven’t yet tried the original 6-year-old Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond. I know, I know…sorry, I missed the boat! Anyways…
A few years ago, Heaven Hill discontinued their Kentucky-only 6-year-old bottled-in-bond bourbon, much to the chagrin of seemingly the entire bourbon community. This was a quality, $15 bottle that held up to most of its higher-priced peers. So, why discontinue it? Good. Damn. Question.
Its replacement - this 7-year-old product - isn’t bad. It’s not. BUT - it’s almost 3x the price ($40 MSRP) and, while a year older and nationally distributed, simply doesn’t add up. This was one of the first lower-proof Heaven Hill products I had that didn’t have a bitter edge to it, so I wanted to like it more. It’s just ok though and, for $40, that’s not enough anymore. For $10 more, you can get Henry McKenna Bottled-in-Bond at three years older, and I’d go with the McKenna 9/10 times. For $10-15 less, you can get Old Grand-Dad Bottled-In-Bond and have a more versatile bourbon. This is a product stuck between better options. Maybe go back to the 6 year, Heaven Hill.
Heaven Hill 7-Year-Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon: Specs
Classification: American Bourbon
Origin: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Age: 7 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Price: $40
Heaven Hill 7 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Orange blossom honey, very thick legs and rims.
Nose: Vanilla with some oaky spice behind it. A bit too oaky, even. Some air opens up a little more caramel sweetness, but not much.
Palate: Fairly smooth, but in an uninteresting way. There’s a slight proof burn, some leather and tobacco. Pleasant tingle on the tongue doesn’t continue through the mouthfeel, which ends up way too thin.
Finish: Long, and I wish it were shorter. It sticks to the corners of my mouth with the right flavors - vanilla, allspice, nutmeg - but somehow they’re disjointed.
Overall: See the options above and go there. If you can find the old 6-year, stick with that.
Final Rating: 4.7
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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