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Horse Soldier Barrel Strength vs Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year

Horse Soldier Barrel Strength and Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an uncut, wheat-forward heavyweight versus an old-guard, classically built classic.

Key Specifications

Feature Horse Soldier Barrel Strength Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Type / Style Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof Traditional Bourbon
Mash Bill 1 70% corn, 20% wheat, 10% malted barley 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
Age No age statement 7 years
Proof 111 proof (55.5% ABV) +11 proof 100 proof (50% ABV)
Approx. Price 2 ~$78 – $85 ~$35 – $45 ~$42 less
  1. Horse Soldier Barrel Strength does not publish an official mash bill.
  2. US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.

AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes

Horse Soldier Barrel Strength

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Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year

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Flavor Profile

Horse Soldier Barrel Strength Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
sweetnessspiceoakfruitheatnuttiness

Axis by axis, biggest gap first

heat 7/5 heat: Horse Soldier Barrel Strength 7 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/5 nuttiness: Horse Soldier Barrel Strength 3 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
sweetness 7/6 sweetness: Horse Soldier Barrel Strength 7 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 6 out of 10
oak 6/7 oak: Horse Soldier Barrel Strength 6 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 7 out of 10
fruit 5/4 fruit: Horse Soldier Barrel Strength 5 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 4 out of 10
spice 5/5 spice: Horse Soldier Barrel Strength 5 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10

Flavor Profile Differences

Proof and heat dominate the difference.

  • Horse Soldier Barrel Strength: A barrel-strength wheater from the veteran-founded Horse Soldier brand. Brown sugar and toasted oak lead, baking spice and heat follow, and a splash of water pulls out darker fruit.
  • 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 Horse Soldier Barrel Strength if you want a big, barrel-strength wheated bourbon with plenty of brown sugar and warmth with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
  • 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.

Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (Horse Soldier Barrel Strength); neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year).