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Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year vs Penelope Rio
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year and Penelope Rio sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, classically built classic versus a blender-built, classically built bottling.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year | Penelope Rio |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | Four-Grain Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley | 74% corn, 7% rye, 16% wheat, 3% malted barley |
| Age | 7 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +2 proof | 98 proof (49% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$35 – $45 ~$50 less | ~$80 – $100 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Limited |
- 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.
Penelope Rio
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year Penelope Rio
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 6/9 sweetness: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 6 out of 10, Penelope Rio 9 out of 10
oak 7/4 oak: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 7 out of 10, Penelope Rio 4 out of 10
fruit 4/6 fruit: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 4 out of 10, Penelope Rio 6 out of 10
nuttiness 5/3 nuttiness: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10, Penelope Rio 3 out of 10
spice 5/6 spice: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10, Penelope Rio 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10, Penelope Rio 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- 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.
- Penelope Rio: Penelope's four-grain blend finished in honey barrels and then amburana wood. It tastes like a cinnamon roll: honey, gingerbread and sweet baking spice.
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 without hunting for it.
- Go with Penelope Rio if you want a honey-and-amburana-finished bourbon that tastes like a cinnamon roll.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year); neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Rio).