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Old Forester Statesman vs Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Old Forester Statesman 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 | Old Forester Statesman | Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 7 years |
| Proof | 95 proof (47.5% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +5 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$50 – $55 | ~$35 – $45 ~$13 less |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Old Forester Statesman
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Old Forester Statesman Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
fruit 7/4 fruit: Old Forester Statesman 7 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 4 out of 10
nuttiness 2/5 nuttiness: Old Forester Statesman 2 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
sweetness 8/6 sweetness: Old Forester Statesman 8 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 6 out of 10
oak 5/7 oak: Old Forester Statesman 5 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 7 out of 10
heat 4/5 heat: Old Forester Statesman 4 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
spice 5/5 spice: Old Forester Statesman 5 out of 10, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Fruit character is what sets these apart.
- Old Forester Statesman: Old Forester's fruit-forward middle child, first made for a spy movie tie-in. Bright cherry and brown sugar lead, with cocoa and a touch of the house banana note.
- 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 Old Forester Statesman if you want a bright, cherry-sweet Old Forester that sits between the 100 and 1920 in weight.
- 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, rocks, old-fashioned (Old Forester Statesman); neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year).