Heaven Hill 7 Year Bottled in Bond Review
The Heaven Hill 7 year Bottled in Bond was first release on June 24, 2019 and as I read older reviews it is apparent that some year’s releases are better than others. This bottle has laser code A21532138 which means that it was bottled from line A on August 3rd (215) of 2023 (3) at 9:38 pm (2138). If you have a bottle, give yourself a pour and lets work through this Heaven Hill 7 year Bottled in Bond review.
As stated, this is a 7 year old bourbon which follows the rules of the Bottled in Bond Act, part of which states that the whisky must be 100 proof. Heaven Hill Distillery uses an all copper column still, as opposed to a pot still. Generally speaking, pot stills can produce richer, more flavorful whiskeys in a batch-by-batch while column stills can produce more volume since they can run continuously.
The 7 year Bottled in Bond is also chill-filtered, so some of the nuances of viscosity have probably been toned down…a shame in my opinion. But, having said that, it does still have a silken note to it, if not blatantly oily or viscous.
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: 7 years
Proof: 100
Proof Designation: Bottled in Bond
Non-Chill Filtered? No…it has been filtered
Mash bill: 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Company: Heaven Hill
Bottled By: Heaven Hill Distillery
Distilled/Aging Location: Bardstown, Kentucky
Still Type: All Copper Column Still
Release Date: Ongoing
MSRP: $60 (2023)
Availability: Available
Heaven Hill 7 Year Bottled in Bond Review
My tasting reviews are unique in that I include the notes of several well-known whiskey critics. The hope is that this format will help me and others to explore and expand their tasting experience. After you have taken your own tasting notes, read the reviews and see if there is a flavor note that others discerned that now you can detect as well.
For this tasting: Opened Bottle (about 1 week), Glencairn Glass, Neat, Room Temp, Breathe: 5 minutes
Legs
The legs took 14 seconds to form beads on the crown and 36 seconds for them to stream to the pour.
Nose
Peanuts right off the bat, then toasted oak, leather, caramel, mild barrel char, a hint of grape.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Bourbon Junkies: A nice nuttiness, smells very sweet and fruity, cinnamon, pear, fresh fruit medley cup.
Single Malt Savvy: Brown sugar sweetness, clove, sweet oak, honey, bing cherry, hints of tobacco, cinnamon, vanilla. A bit of butterscotch and hints of red berries emerge over time.
Secret Whiskey Society: Sweet brown sugar, buttery caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, cinnamon spice, anise seed, clove.
Palate
Dark caramel, brown sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, leather, peanuts, sweet oak, vanilla, hints of grape, orange peel.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Bourbon Junkies: It tastes just like it smells, sweet fruits up front, a pleasant nuttiness, cinnamon, pear.
Single Malt Savvy: Cinnamon, graham crackers, more honey, toasted oak, allspice, leather, hint of red hots, hint of maple. With some time, I find a growing nuttiness and additional sugary sweetness.
Secret Whiskey Society: Smooth creamy caramel, vanilla, oak, warm cinnamon spice, black pepper, light malt grain.
Finish
Medium finish (about 40 seconds), brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, barrel char, leather, spice.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Bourbon Junkies: A tiny bit of nuttiness, fruity, sweet.
Single Malt Savvy: Spicy and sweet, cinnamon, caramel, maraschino cherry, hint of dark chocolate, peanuts, and just a hint of fresh mint. Lengthy and spicy.
Secret Whiskey Society: Medium finish with a nice oily mouthfeel but also a bit of heat – leaves you with sweet caramel and oak that turns more spice and pepper on the tail end.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is pleasant, silken but not oily or viscous. It is chill filtered, so some of the compounds that contribute viscosity have been removed
The Burn
4 out of 5. This means that the burn from the alcohol is a bit lower (5% to 9%) than what I would expect it to be. I would guess this to be around 94 proof, not 100 proof.
Tasting Summary
The 2023 batch of Heaven Hill 7 year Bottled in Bond is an all-around good bottle of bourbon. It is well balanced between sweet, dry, and spicy notes, and the proof is pleasant. It isn’t super complex or nuanced, but also not watery or boring, and for $60 it is pretty damn good. I can see this as a daily drinker when I want something satisfying but not stupendous.
My Tasting Notes
A blank version of this tasting notes wheel is available in both a color and a black & white version in the member’s area.
Notes and History
Heaven Hill is amongst the most iconic distilleries in the US, with famous brands like Old Fitzgerald, Elijah Craig, Larceny, Henry McKenna, Evan Williams, Rittenhouse, Bernheim, and Parker’s Heritage among others.
According to their site, Heaven Hill 7-year pays tribute to the earliest days of the distillery’s history when it released Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond in 1939. Today, the same founding family strives to make this bottle meet the standards set forth in the Bottled-in-Bond act of 1897.
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