Review #683 - Bernheim 7 Year Small Batch Wheat Whiskey
Much like a 'Kentucky rye' often uses a mashbill with just the legal minimum (51%) amount of rye grain in the mashbill, Heaven Hill's Bernheim wheat whisky is a 'barely legal' wheat whisky, as it uses 51% soft red winter wheat. The other 49% of that mashbill is split between corn (37%) and malted barley (12%).
This wheat whisky takes its name from the Louisville, Kentucky distillery now owned by Heaven Hill: the Bernheim distillery. This is one of the oldest distilleries in Kentucky, as it was established back in 1897 by Isaac Bernheim; in the 1990s, Heaven Hill purchased the facility and still uses it for production today.
This standard 'small batch' version of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey carries a 7 year age statement, and it's bottled at a typical 45% ABV (90 proof).
Bernheim 7 Year Small Batch Wheat Whiskey
USA - Wheat
Price: USD 30 (2025)
Age Statement: 7 Years
Strength: 45% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 17 months; bottles at 90%, 60%, and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Softer, with some warming wheat grain notes, a mild earthy scent, and some soft oak. Baking spices build: nutmeg, brown sugar. There's a hint of orange, as well as accent notes of leather and whole grain bread.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; brown sugar and cereal grains add nice sweet flavors up front, and there's a light side of cotton and floral notes, too. It's rounded and pleasant; bready notes returns from the nose, and slowly the tannins from the oak arrive. In the background, we get a hint of creamy vanilla.
Finish: Brown sugar again, some cinnamon and vanilla, very baking note-forward. Oak has a medium influence, and the aftertaste has hints of honey and ethanol. It's a mild, medium-short finish.
Final Note: This Bernheim Small Batch is fine for an entry-level wheat whisky - it's quite simple, with all of the flavor focused in grain notes and baking spices. At times, the oak had a stronger influence, but some tasting sessions also felt underwhelming with the oak for a 7 year old product; texture is just okay, and while this is pleasant enough, it's quite simple and straightforward.
Still, due to the fair price around $30, the value here is pretty good. If you're interesting in trying a whisky that really emphasized those grain character notes and brings sweet baking notes like brown sugar and vanilla, this could be a good pickup.
Our Average Rating: 5.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.17
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other reviews of wheat whiskies:
