A couple weeks ago we held a Bottled-in-Bond tasting. Bottled-in-Bond is a federal, legal designation enacted in 1897 to show that the whiskey was secured and overseen by the federal government in a U.S. Bonded warehouse. Additionally the whiskey in the bottle had to be distilled in the same season, by a single distiller, spend at least four years in the barrel and be bottled at 100 proof.
Back in the day the distiller used to send the retailer the entire barrel of whiskey. The retailer had a habit of changing the contents on their own. In one example the retailer may water it down and add coloring to make it look older. The Bottled-in-Bond Act was passed to protect the distiller and the consumer.
We chose five expressions to taste and then we ranked them against each other from least favorite (5) to most favorite (1). Here are the rankings and a few tasting notes from our tasters:
- Toms Foolery Bonded, $55, (54% corn, 23% rye, and 23% barley malt)
Blah, Very sweet, Hints of apricots & chocolate, Tastes young, Great rye taste, short finish.
- Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond, $50 (72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley)
Notes of licorice on the nose, Thin taste, Under aged, Minty taste, Notes of ethanol, Nice finish.
- Evan Williams Bottled in Bond, $17 (78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley)
Not much depth in the taste, Sweet and smooth, Notes of butterscotch, Nice caramel, Great for a mixer.
- New Riff Bottled in Bond Bourbon, $40 (65% corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley)
Sharp on the nose, Creamy texture, Great spice taste, Love the high-rye content, Beautifully spicy finish.
- Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch Bourbon, $45 (Low-rye bourbon, less than 10%)
Daddy like, Light apple & maple notes, Full of depth, Good balance of flavors, Very smooth on the palate, Long finish, Well worth the price!
Thanks to everyone who attended and to Brian Catlett (friend of the club) for hosting.
Cheers,
Doug #1