Tag: Bottled in Bond

BSG Review: J.W. Dant Bottled in Bond Bourbon

February 12, 2020 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.

Location: Distilled in Louisville, KY; Bottled in Bardstown, KY

Parent Company: N/A

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: NAS (at least 4 years)

Mash bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

J.W. Dant bottled in bond bourbon is named after Joseph W. Dant, who started distilling at the age of 16 the mid-1830’s. The Dant family has a long history of distilling, however, the J.W. Dant brand name was sold to Heaven Hill in the 1990’s. Joseph started out distilling using two halves of a hollowed out log that was filled with fermenting mash and had copper steam pipes running through the log to start the distillation process. This family history has inspired Joseph’s great-great-grandson J.W. “Wally” Dant to announce in the Summer of 2019 his purchase of 220 acres to build Log Still Distillery on the old property that was most recently home of Gethsemane Distillery (shut down in 1961). Due to Heaven Hill’s J.W. Dant brand name ownership, his name isn’t expected to ever show up on a bottle produced by the new Dant family distillery.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Amber

Nose: Heavy oak, sweet corn, citrus zest, hint of banana

Palate: Caramel, corn, heavy oak

Finish: Long, black pepper, oak, slightly medicinal

J.W. Dant is a budget-friendly offering coming in around $15 for most consumers. It starts with a nose that is heavy on the oak with some sweet corn trying to come through. There is some citrus zest and a hint of banana as well once the big oak aroma passes. The taste brings some caramel and corn flavors but still with that big punch of oak dominating the palate over everything. This bourbon finishes pretty long with some black pepper spice to go along with all that oak. I did pick up a slight medicinal note that pops out at the very end that could be off-putting for some people. Though I find this bottle to be a decent everyday budget bourbon offering, I do believe I would give the edge to another comparable Heaven Hill product, Evan Williams Bottled in Bond (White Label).

BSG Score: 78/100

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BSG Review: New Riff Bourbon

August 21, 2019 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: New Riff Distillery

Location: Covington, KY

Parent Company: N/A

Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: 4 Years

Mashbill: 65% Corn, 30% Rye, 5% Malted Barley

New Riff Distillery was founded in 2014 by Ken Lewis and is independently owned by one family. Ken was previously a successful liquor retailer in Kentucky and sold his business to his employees in order to legally be allowed to start his own distillery. New Riff took the route of sourcing bourbon from MGP and selling it under a different label (O.K.I.) while patiently waiting for their own stocks to age. Now that the stocks are old enough, New Riff only releases products of their own making. New Riff bourbon is distilled with the sour mash process, non-chill filtered and bottled-in-bond. The initial release was in 2018 when the first barrels came of age to be released as a bottled-in-bond bourbon.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Classic Amber

Nose: Citrus, oak, vanilla, caramel

Palate: Cinnamon, orange zest, honey, vanilla

Finish: Long and spicy, black pepper at the end

This bourbon was definitely worth the wait for it to be released as a bottled-in-bond offering. It smells of citrus and oak with the familiar vanilla and caramel sweetness peaking through. As it hits the front of the palate, I get a pop of cinnamon that is quickly followed by a touch of orange zest. As is flows back and to the sides of the palate, a hint of honey and vanilla tries to sneak through. This is not an overly sweet tasting bourbon. The high-rye mash bill definitely puts the spicier notes front and center, then it finishes long and spicy with a lingering note of black pepper as is settles in for a mild Kentucky hug. This makes for an extremely easy to drink bourbon that will be sure to please any fan of the higher-rye bourbons.

The single barrel offerings from New Riff are some of the best on the market right now. I have tried, and bought, several of these bottles already and have never been disappointed. As for the standard bourbon offering, I’d say this was a home run for New Riff. I recommend taking the distillery tours if you are ever in the greater Cincinnati area. You won’t be disappointed in the unique offerings they provide out of the gift shop and at the Aquifer tasting bar. If you are a gin fan, give the Bourbon Barreled Kentucky Wild Gin a try as well. It was surprisingly good to this whiskey drinker.

BSG Score: 88/100

BSG Review: Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond

August 25, 2018 / BSG / 0 Comments

Distilled By: Old Forester / Brown-Forman

Location: Louisville, KY

Parent Company: Brown-Forman Distillers Company

Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age: NAS (at least 4 years old)

Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

This 100-proof second release of the Whiskey Row Series was called Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond in honor of the U.S. Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 was introduced to curb the growing trend of rectifiers adulterating whiskey with additives such as tobacco, iodine and wood chips in an effort to shortcut the flavoring and coloring that is normally acquired through aging. A whiskey now labeled as “bonded” cannot have any additives other than water. The distillate must be a product of one distiller in one distilling season. It must also be aged in a government-supervised warehouse for at least four years before bottled at exactly 100 proof. Old Forster is the oldest continually-operated distillery in the United States and was the first to sell their bourbon exclusively in sealed bottles, beginning in 1870.

BSG REVIEW:

Color: Copper with thin, light legs down the glass

Nose: Heavy caramel, vanilla and coffee, some light floral and fruit notes. A little alcohol burn.

Palate: Black cherry, vanilla, caramel and just enough oak and spice to keep it interesting.

Finish: Long and sweet with a little spiciness to round it out. Savory for more than a minute after it’s down.

The Old Forster 1897 Bottled in Bond is a worthy tribute to the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. It’s right in line with the flavor profile I expected after reviewing the first release in the Whiskey Row Series: Old Forester 1870 Original Batch. However, the increased proof of the Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond gives this release a slight edge over the 1870 Original Batch in complexity.

Check out the BSG Review for the rest of the Old Forester Whiskey Row series (1870, 1920, 1910) and the movie tie-in release, Statesman.

BSG Score: 89/100

Tag: Bottled in Bond

BSG Review: J.W. Dant Bottled in Bond Bourbon

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BSG Review: New Riff Bourbon

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BSG Review: Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond

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