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Four Roses Small Batch vs Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Four Roses Small Batch and Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus an old-guard, classically built classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Four Roses Small Batch | Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 7 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$32 – $38 ~$5 less | ~$35 – $45 |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Four Roses Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Four Roses Small Batch Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
fruit 7/4 fruit: Four Roses Small Batch 7 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 4 out of 10
oak 5/7 oak: Four Roses Small Batch 5 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 7 out of 10
nuttiness 3/5 nuttiness: Four Roses Small Batch 3 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
spice 6/5 spice: Four Roses Small Batch 6 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
heat 4/5 heat: Four Roses Small Batch 4 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Four Roses Small Batch 6 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 6 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The fruit-versus-grain contrast drives this one.
- Four Roses Small Batch: Four Roses' yeast strains push this toward fruit and florals rather than wood. Red berry and cinnamon over a light body, with the rye showing up as brightness instead of bite.
- Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year: Seven years, bonded, and priced sensibly — the specification sheet reads like something from twenty years ago. Balanced and oak-leaning without ever getting heavy.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Four Roses Small Batch if you want a fruit-and-floral profile that stands apart from the usual caramel-and-oak template at a slightly lower price point.
- Go with Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year if you want a bonded, age-stated Kentucky bourbon that gets the fundamentals right for under forty dollars with more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails (Four Roses Small Batch); neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year).