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Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year vs New Riff 8 Year
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year and New Riff 8 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, classically built classic versus a new-wave, rye-forward craft style.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year | New Riff 8 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | 7 years | 8 years +1 yr |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$35 – $45 ~$28 less | ~$65 – $70 |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
New Riff 8 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year New Riff 8 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 5/8 spice: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 8 out of 10
nuttiness 5/3 nuttiness: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 3 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 4 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 6 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 6 out of 10
oak 7/7 oak: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 7 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 7 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff 8 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- 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.
- New Riff 8 Year: The older, deeper version of New Riff's bonded bourbon. Same 30% rye recipe, but eight years add richer oak and darker sugar while keeping the spice front and center.
Which One Should You Choose?
- 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.
- Go with New Riff 8 Year if you want an older, deeper take on New Riff's spicy high-rye recipe with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff 8 Year).