Review #343 - Heaven Hill 7 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Heaven Hill's Bottled in Bond - this bourbon initially garnered some criticism, as it replaced the previous version of the distillery's bottled in bond bourbon, which was a fraction of the price. It came back with a 7 year age statement, and while it is more expensive than the previous version, it's still in a reasonable price range, between $40 and $50.
Along with that 7 year age statement, we get a bottling strength of 50% ABV (100 proof), standard for the 'bottled-in-bond' designation.
Heaven Hill 7 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 44 (2024)
Age Statement: 7 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 11 months; bottles at 10%, 30% (blind tasting), and 30% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A decent amount of oak up front, balanced, but with a few mature notes of tobacco or leather. It's a bit dusty, too, and we get some mild nutty notes and grain; baking scents grow stronger, bringing vanilla, clove, icing sugar, nutmeg, and spiced caramel. At times, there were hints of wood smoke and molasses.
Palate: A medium or so thickness mouthfeel, still quite oaky, and a classic bourbon profile. Lots of caramel, dusty grains, pecans, and brown sugar; subtler notes of orange, leather, and red fruit are mixed in. Barrel spice and wood smoke linger in the background, along with a hint of savory flavor.
Finish: Sweet and oaky, with wood spice, nutmeg, orange fruit, and vanilla. Mild white pepper and soft tannins add more spice, and we get more wood smoke later on; mellows out nicely into the aftertaste.
Final Note: We really like this bourbon - it's full of flavor, including some nice mature notes for a whisky that's 7 years old. Plenty of oaky character and nice spices, as well as good sweet flavors - good balance, and includes a wide spectrum of tastes.
Value is quite good - this is becoming more regularly available after being hard to find for several years in a lot of places, and we generally see the price between $40 and $50. We're happy to pay that for this quality.
Our Average Rating: 7.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.77
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Heaven Hill reviews:
Review #342 - Evan Williams Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Review #333 - Elijah Craig 10 Year Private Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'John Dillinger'
Review #332 - Elijah Craig 10 Year Private Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Arson'
Review #298 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A122
Review #297 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A121
Review #238 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923
Review #237 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B523
Review #205 - Larceny Small Batch Bourbon
