This is the second in a series of reviews for Whiskey Row Bourbon’s new core lineup. My review of Small Batch Triple Wood can be found here.
Bottled-in-Bond is my favorite niche whiskey category. It is historically
relevant, which I find fascinating as a history and whiskey buff.
The
first consumer protection law ever passed by Congress was the Bottled In Bond Act of 1897. Back in the day (yes, I’m old!), rectifiers and
retailers were doing some disgusting stuff to make their whiskey stocks last
longer (and save money). They’d add in reasonably innocuous things, like prune
juice and brown sugar, but they’d also use tobacco spit, turpentine, shoe
polish, and iodine – these additives could make you, at the very least, sick,
if not outright kill you!
The
Act was spearheaded by Edmund
Haynes Taylor of Old Taylor Bourbon
and then-Secretary of the Treasury John G.
Carlisle. It was meant to put an end to those
disgusting and dangerous practices and provide a guarantee to the consumer that
what they were drinking was, truly, pure whiskey.
The
brand must fit very tight parameters to carry Bonded on the label. It must be
distilled from a single distiller in a single distilling season (either January
to June or July to December) and be a 100% American-distilled spirit. If the
brand is not the distiller, the bottle must clearly state who it was and where
it was bottled. The whiskey must be packaged at 50% ABV (100°) and can only be
proofed with pure water. It must mature at least four years in a
government-bonded warehouse. Oh, one final thing. It must be a 100% wholly American-made
product.
That
brings us to the subject of today’s review: Whiskey Row Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and I must thank Kentucky Artisan Distillers
for providing me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest
review. Let’s #DrinkCurious.
- Whiskey
Type: Bourbon
- Distiller: Kentucky Artisan Distillery (DSP-KY-20004)
- Mashbill: Undisclosed blend of corn, rye, and malted barley
- Age: NAS (At least four years)
- Cooperage: Matured in new, charred oak barrels
- Alcohol
Content: 50% ABV (90°)
- Price per
750mL: $59.99
- Availability: CO, GA, IL, KY, MI, NH, NY, TN. A global rollout, including Europe, will follow.
Appearance: I
poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. Inside, the liquid
presented as the color of caramel. A thin rim jettisoned thick, swift tears.
Nose: Whiskey
Row’s aroma exploded out of the glass. I smelled cedar, oak, pecans, peaches, apples,
brown sugar, nutmeg, and leather. Drawing the air into my mouth revealed bold
nutmeg.
Palate: A dense
texture distracted me from immediately recognizing what was occurring on my
palate. I know there were some wood-forward notes. An additional ship helped me
overcome the palate shock. On the front, I tasted dark-roasted coffee, tobacco,
and cocoa. My mid-palate discovered toffee, stewed peaches, and baked apples. I
found clove, oak, and cedar on the back.
Finish: Long in
duration, the finish included flavors of cocoa, coffee, tobacco, clove, black
pepper, cedar, and caramel. It ran 1:58. The wood tannins held on the longest.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Whiskey
Row Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon was an easy drinker, perhaps too easy. Once
you get past that first sip, this whiskey becomes dangerous. It seemed way
lower than the stated proof. It was well-balanced and tasty. It would be easy
to continue filling your glass before you realized you were schnockered.
Priced reasonably, I believe
this Bourbon is worth picking up; it earns my Bottle rating. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit
but begs you to do so responsibly.
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