Heaven Hill 7 Year Bottled In Bond

Distillery: Heaven Hill

Age: 7 Years

Proof: 100

Verdict: Maybe it’s not the incredible value it used to be, but it’s still pretty good.

Score: 7.08

From what I understand (remember, I’m new to this), a 6-year version of this bottle used to exist and was priced around $10-$15.  It was an incredible value.. so much so that it couldn’t last.  It was discontinued in 2018, and in 2019 this 7-year product took its place.  While the $40 MSRP is a significant departure from its predecessor, I still found this to be a pleasant, sorta decently-priced product with more dryness and spice than a lot of other baseline bottles.  It has a refreshingly original profile.  This was my first time trying a Heaven Hill offering and I will definitely be back. 

The nose is fairly classic with some vanilla, caramel, and oak notes.  The palate, however, is very oak and pepper forward and the finish is fairly long.  I was surprised at such a spicy, peppery pour from a 10% rye mashbill.  There are also hints of leather, cherry, and cinnamon.  There is some sweetness but it’s not nearly as heavy as something like Angel’s Envy or a wheated product. 

Overall, while maybe not as magical as its incredibly cheap predecessor, Heaven Hill’s 7-year-old bottled-in-bond offering is still a solid pickup.  It puts forward some less common notes from a bottle that is just that – common.  This one should be very easy to track down on many store shelves and can also be ordered here:

It’s added to THE LIST. More soon.

G