Bottled in Bond - BourbonSphere

High West Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Utah’s High West earned its reputation as a fan favorite through their transparency. The company was among those that tried and proved the path of using sourced whiskey to develop a brand while mustering the resources and expertise to build a working distillery, develop whiskeys and mature them. What made …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

High West Bottled in Bond Rye
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Utah’s High West earned its reputation as a fan favorite through their transparency. The company was among those that tried and proved the path of using sourced whiskey to develop a brand while mustering the resources and expertise to build a working distillery, develop whiskeys and mature them. What made them the darling of so many whiskey nerds a decade ago was that they were part of a small class that disclosed their sourcing, at least insofar as their contractual obligations allowed them to. Barrell Craft Spirits and Smooth Ambler also garnered plaudits from the enthusiast community for transparency.

High West continues to rely on sourcing to this day, but their goal from the beginning was to make an in-house rye whiskey. They crossed that milestone years ago, and this rye has found its way into their products. Double Rye, for example, mixes a wide majority of MGP-sourced rye with their in-house product. That has so much been the case that I don’t actually recall any way to get at High West’s rye whiskey in and of itself, because it is so often merely part of one of their legacy expressions.

Or that was the case until High West Bottled in Bond Rye came along in February 2024. The mash behind this whiskey is 80% rye, 20% malted rye, both from a hybrid strain of grain called Guittino. As a bonded whiskey, the stock comes entirely from a single distilling year, the expression is a minimum of four years old (the batch numeration suggests it is a five year old, but that goes unstated on the labeling) and its 100 proof.

The Whiskey
The pour has a clear, bright and light amber look in the glass. The scent brings out both elements of what I would expect from its mash bill: cookie spice and peppermint on the one hand, and pumpernickel dough on the other. There is a woody note that is more cedar and than oak, plus another note of vanilla. The palate follows and develops very much in that vein: the standard pumpernickel and molasses that comes with malted rye so much of the time, plus notes of dill, peppermint, cookie spices, fennel and cedar. The finish spins out peppery and woody.

The Price
Expect to pay $80 a bottle.

Heaven Hill Marks Buying Bernheim Distillery With New Old Fitz

Kentucky distiller Heaven Hill announced today the release of the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 25th Anniversary Edition. This is a special release in the Old Fitzgerald line, outside the bi-annual spring and autumn releases, denoted as a “VVS.” The occasion is the 25th anniversary of Heaven Hill’s purchase of the Bernheim Distillery in Shively (an industrial …

Kentucky distiller Heaven Hill announced today the release of the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 25^th Anniversary Edition. This is a special release in the Old Fitzgerald line, outside the bi-annual spring and autumn releases, denoted as a “VVS.” The occasion is the 25th anniversary of Heaven Hill’s purchase of the Bernheim Distillery in Shively (an industrial suburb of Louisville), following the destruction of the company’s original distillery in a 1996 fire.

The barrels used for this VVS Old Fitzgerald release were produced in September 1999, emptied in March 2013 and bottled in February 2024. When these barrels were tested in 2013, it was decided that the taste profile at 13 years old was exceptional and the profile would be reserved for a special occasion, such as this 25^th Anniversary Edition. Presumably, the bourbon was then socked away into stainless steel storage containers. Thirteen is also a lucky number for Heaven Hill, as the company filled its first barrel ever on December 13, 1935.

“The Bernheim Distillery became the lifeblood of Heaven Hill after the setback from the fire and has been ever since,” said Executive Chairman Max Shapira. “We are honored to have been able to continue the Old Fitzgerald legacy since that time and look forward to many more years of exceptional releases from Bernheim Distillery and from the Heaven Hill Springs Distillery set to open early next year.”

This edition is available at the suggested retail price of $229.99.

Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey Review

Updated April 1, 2024 By Richard Thomas Average Rating: B+ Rabble Rouser has been around for a few years now, having first been released in 2015. Although it has been a four year old expression from the beginning, it was not initially labeled a bottled in bond and therefore can’t be considered as a forerunner …

Updated April 1, 2024

By Richard Thomas

Average Rating: B+

Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser Bottled in Bond Rye
(Credit: Catoctin Creek)

Rabble Rouser has been around for a few years now, having first been released in 2015. Although it has been a four year old expression from the beginning, it was not initially labeled a bottled in bond and therefore can’t be considered as a forerunner of the craft bottled in bond whiskeys that started coming out in 2017. Even so, it was quite novel to have a four year age statement on a craft rye back in 2015.

Catoctin Creek used their house 100% rye mash for making Rabble Rouser, but the distillate isn’t the same as what goes into Roundstone Rye. Instead, they chose to distill it to a lower proof, a choice that puts more of just about everything but alcohol in the new make.

Past that, it’s a bottled in bond: distilled at Catoctin Creek in a single season; four years old, the minimum for the category; aged under government supervision; bottled at 100 proof.

The Whiskey
In the glass, Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser has the look of brightly polished copper. A coating of the glass forms a beady crown and drops skinny legs.

The scent comes on with dill and cookie spices first, followed by a spoonful of brown sugar, then some musty old wood and pine needles underneath. A sip reveals a whiskey that is deeply spicy, albeit mildly and pleasantly so. A moderate dollop of ginger and pepper is rounded out with cinnamon, cardamom and sweetened just a touch with vanilla. From there, the finish is briefly spicy, but this fades fast and leaves behind that musty wood from the nose. One can really see the choice of lower distillation proof yielding dividends in the flavor.

Addendum by Kenrick Thurston-Wilcox
The whiskey is a distinct mix of red and brown in the glass. The nose is what one expects in a good glass of rye, very herbaceous with notes of mint and grass, oak, caramel, rye bread, peppercorn with floral notes. The palate brings more of the same rye qualities with the rye spiciness coming through first, mint and grass once again, rye bread and some candied orange notes. There is a slight sharpness to the whiskey when it first hits your tongue. The finish is smoky and of medium length.

If you know someone who is hesitant to try rye this is a great representation of traditional rye flavors and one that I would suggest to anyone. It doesn’t bring any new flavors or ideas to the table and it doesn’t need to. It’s well made with all the flavors being clear, concise and distinct even representing the floral qualities that a lot of ryes tend to omit. Be careful picking this up as this Rabble Rouser may just win you over with its ideas.

The Price
A bottle of Rabble Rouser now fetches $99. That is up only four bucks from when this was first covered in 2019, which is hardly surprising given the post-Pandemic inflation cycle.

New York Distilling Revives An Heirloom Rye For Their Whiskey

When Allen Katz and Tom Potter founded The New York Distilling Company (NYDC) in 2011, they started with the idea of developing a rye whiskey that captured the flavors and history of New York, a concept that has since been embodied as the regional “Empire Rye.” For their part, NYDC has now made their decade-old …

Jaywalk Straight Rye’s journey started with a small envelope of just 10 seeds. Aided by the small-grains experts at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture, the search began for a varietal with deep historic and distilling roots in New York. Research and experimentation led the team to Horton Rye – a singularly unique grain whose origins date back to 17th century Rye, New York – and began the process that would create Jaywalk Rye.

Horton’s size – significantly smaller than conventional rye – packs a concentration of sugars, minerals and starch compounds that make for a truly distinct flavor profile; and a rare one at that, as most distilling enterprises wouldn’t consider cultivating a grain with yields that would limit commercial profitability. That didn’t matter to Katz and the team’s ongoing pursuit of outstanding flavor. NYDC partnered with Pedersen Family Farm in Seneca Falls, one of the largest organic farms in New York, to grow all of their rye. “We started in a series of ceramic pots, moved to a greenhouse and then to field tests. In all, it took 5 years just to have enough rye to start distilling.” says Katz.

As fields were planted and harvested, the initiative has grown to more than 200 acres under cultivation. During those years the distilling, aging and blending began under the care and guidance of co-founder and Head Distiller, Bill Potter. The team experimented with six, seven, and eight-year old whiskey, all aged in 53-gallon char #3 oak barrels, and created its landmark blend: Jaywalk Straight Rye. “We bring forward flavors beyond the generic ‘spice’ too easily associated with contemporary rye whiskies,” said Katz. “The use of Horton Rye in every blend affords a focus on darker caramelized sugars and a subtle range of tropical fruits from candied pineapple and mango on the palate and honeyed notes of ripe apricot on the nose.”

Jaywalk Straight Rye is bottled at 92 proof and its artfully crafted blend makes it an ideal ingredient for rye-based cocktails. Use it as a go-to when you’re in the mood for an authentic Manhattan or soothing Old Fashioned. “Rye whiskey was instrumental in the earliest days of American cocktail culture,” says Katz, “and when we designed Jaywalk Rye, we wanted it to be a delicious drinking rye with the versatility to shine in cocktails.”

Jaywalk Straight Rye is joined by two other labels under the Jaywalk imprint, both of which are built on the Horton rye varietal. Jaywalk Bonded Rye showcases a blend of exclusively 7-year-old whiskey at 100 proof and Jaywalk Heirloom Rye is an annual offering of scrupulously selected single barrels, bottled at cask strength (114-116 proof).

All of Jaywalk’s offerings showcase flavors that are distinctly New York, but a sip of the spirit also captures something more: a hint of New York’s essence. Jaywalk’s name was inspired by the unwritten attitude that pervades the streets of the distiller’s hometown. “New Yorkers are dreamers,” says Katz. “Whether you’re born here or feel compelled to make this city your home, we share a drive to find joy in personal creativity, our own as well as others. It’s not a city for everyone.” For Katz and the Potters, New York provided the catalyst to be entrepreneurs, to understand and be unafraid in pursuit of a dream.

Jaywalk Straight Rye is available at a suggested retail price of $50 for 750ml, Jaywalk Straight Bonded Rye is available at a suggested retail price of $55 for 750ml, and Jaywalk Heirloom is available at a suggested retail price of $119 for 700ml.

Utah’s High West Launches First In-House Bonded Whiskey

Utah’s High West made a name for itself as a company that was refreshingly transparent about its sourced whiskeys at a time when many whiskey nerds had a fever-pitch obsession with the allegedly deceptive practices of Non-Distiller Producers. However, becoming a fan favorite on the basis of creative blending and transparency had the perhaps unintended effect of making those same nerds forget the other significant point of High West: it was a trailblazer of the practice of building a brand with sourced whiskeys while working on a distillery, then navigating the transition to in-house production.

Now High West has unveiled their first in-house bottled in bond whiskey, joining the swelling ranks of small producers with bonded expressions. This is a four year old bonded rye, made from a mash bill of 80% rye and 20% malted rye, and offered at $79.99 a bottle.

Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B While I know it has been many years since Jack Daniel’s made their initial foray into rye whiskey, it sometimes seems like it was only the other day when Jack Daniel’s released their rye counterpart to Old No. 7. In reality, that was also several years ago, six and a …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

While I know it has been many years since Jack Daniel’s made their initial foray into rye whiskey, it sometimes seems like it was only the other day when Jack Daniel’s released their rye counterpart to Old No. 7. In reality, that was also several years ago, six and a half to be exact.

This project of the former master distiller at Lynchburg, Jeff Arnett, follows in the Old No. 7 style. Just as the standard JD Tennessee Whiskey uses a high corn mash of 80% corn, 8% rye and 12% malted barley, the rye uses 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley. As with everything out of the Moore County distillery, Jack Rye gets the Lincoln County Process: drip-filtration through vats of sugar maple charcoal prior to entry into the charred, new oak barrels for maturation.

Now the company has taken that flagship, entry-level rye expression and carried a step up with a regular brand extension: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye. It has been reported that the initial batch of the whiskey is actually seven years old, and although they don’t want to be bound to a clear age statement, consistency and the Bottled in Bond statute suggest it will continue to be that going forward. Think about it: a bonded whiskey must be bottled from within a single distilling season, so to deviate substantially from seven years old would very likely be noticeable in the bottle. This isn’t an expression that can do a blend from multiple years. It’s bottled at 100 proof, of course. An odd touch is the Europe-friendly bottle size, 700 ml.

The Whiskey
This pour takes on the look of copper once it is in the glass. The nose presents as fruity, with a salad of pear, tangerine and banana, couple to notes of herbal spices and evergreen. The spices grow bolder on the palate, turning to mint, pine, a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of black pepper. The sweet fruit steps back a bit, but stays on center stage, bringing the whiskey into better balance: molasses with hints of vanilla and banana. Throw in a little barrel char, and you’ve got the whole thing. The finish runs with the barrel char and pepper, but is a light touch and neither element linger.

The Price
When you consider the quality of this bottle, the price is simply amazing: $32 a bottle. If you like rye and you want it spicier than the typical Kentucky style offering, but retaining a smooth drinking quality, this is a strong candidate for your go-to bottle.

Still Austin High Rye Bottled in Bond Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Texas’s Still Austin Whiskey Company (I shouldn’t need to tell you where in Texas they are from with that name) has a range of bottled in bond whiskeys, based on their standard straight whiskey line. It’s a now commonplace arrangement among small distillers in America, and many plan their initial, …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Still Austin High Rye Bottled in Bond Bourbon
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Texas’s Still Austin Whiskey Company (I shouldn’t need to tell you where in Texas they are from with that name) has a range of bottled in bond whiskeys, based on their standard straight whiskey line. It’s a now commonplace arrangement among small distillers in America, and many plan their initial, full scale production runs with an eye on releasing an initial volley of straight whiskeys, followed by the bonded versions two or three years later. That line currently consists of the Red Corn and Blue Corn bourbons, their rye whiskey and the High Rye Bourbon.

The Still Austin High Rye is mashed with 70% white corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley. The industry lacks a standard definition for what “high rye” or any high grain proportion actually is, leaving distillers from Still Austin to Heaven Hill to call anything a high rye if they want to. For my part, I draw the line at 30% and therefore would not actually call this a high rye. Nonetheless, the whiskey comes across with an extra helping of spiciness, which I suspect comes as much from the choice of yeast or white corn as it does from the only slightly elevated proportion of rye.

Past that, it sits right on the statute of the 1897 Bottled in Bond Act: 100 proof, four years old, single distilling season, one distillery.

The Bourbon
The pour has an amber coloring with heavy red accent. In fact, I’m struck by just how much that pour from last night looks like the cup of roobios tea I’m sipping on as I type this.

The nose smacks of pine needles, orange zest peppermint, nutmeg and vanilla. Sipping yields a silky texture with notes of cinnamon, more mint, orange zest and nutmeg, and a base of candy corn. The silky mouthfeel carries right over into the finish, plus a dash of black pepper.

I rate Still Austin’s bonded high rye bourbon above the other, better known examples of high rye whiskeys, such as Basil Hayden, Old Granddad or Bulleit. The whiskey is spicy, but balanced, and lacks the dryness and lightness that sometimes accompanies whiskeys in this class. That combination makes it superbly easy-drinking. To anyone looking for a good craft whiskey buy or a good high rye bourbon buy, I heartily endorse this one.

The Price
Officially, this is priced at $83 a bottle.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon Review (Fall 2023)

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ An axiom in the whiskey trade is that a high age statement doesn’t necessarily mean a good whiskey, but what about the reverse? Can you have a great whiskey with a merely average age statement? Certainly much more than merely time goes into whiskey maturation, and if you doubt the …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond (Fall 2023)
(Credit: Heaven Hill)

An axiom in the whiskey trade is that a high age statement doesn’t necessarily mean a good whiskey, but what about the reverse? Can you have a great whiskey with a merely average age statement? Certainly much more than merely time goes into whiskey maturation, and if you doubt the truth of that statement, I suggest looking no further than the famous case of the Colonel E.H. Taylor Tornado Bourbon.

Heaven Hill‘s latest installment in the Old Fitzgerald line of bottled in bond, wheated bourbons raises this question because it rests at the bottom of the age range in that series, being just eight years old. That is still double the statutory minimum required by the Bottled in Bond Act, but the age statements on the series are often in the teens. The release has been accompanied by the usual croaking, despite the fact that this is only the second time the series has gone down to an eight year old expression, so that release certainly didn’t begin a race to the bottom for the series.

So, leaving aside the age statement of this 100 proof bourbon leaves the only question that really matters: how is it?

The Bourbon
The pour has copper, leaning to bronze appearance to it, which actually is rather suggestive of its age. That might be my mind playing tricks, but it is what I see, and generally speaking a lighter coloring speaks of a mature whiskey, rather than one that is middle aged or truly old.

The nosing yields the staple bourbon scents of melted brown sugar and caramel, coupled to current of nutmeg, clove and pine, with a fainter trace of cinnamon. Taking a sip revealed a more fruity dimension, but also a bit more tannic, so the brown sugar and caramel is jointed by peach tea, while the spicy notes all remain the same. Those spicy notes are what linger in the finish, and as a grouping at that.

In my estimation, Old Fitz Bonded Fall 2023 certainly punches above its weight. It’s flavorful, and has certain characteristics one doesn’t expect from an eight year old bourbon. To put this into perspective, Elijah Craig is said to be made from an eight to ten year old batching, so this is on the lower end of that range and is distinctively better. That said, I don’t think it is so much better as to merit the price tag (see below), seeing as how Elijah Craig Small Batch is a $35 bottle.

The Price
Officially, this bourbon is tagged at $109.99.

Texas’s Maverick Distilling Releases Bonded Triticale Whiskey

Maverick Distilling has launched its Samuel Maverick Straight Triticale Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond. The extremely limited release from a single barrel marks the first ever Bottled-in-Bond whiskey from the distillery. Samuel Maverick Straight Triticale Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond is available exclusively at the distillery tasting room in San Antonio, Texas, and from the Maverick Distilling website. “Our Straight Triticale …

“Our Straight Triticale Whiskey is the result of what we call our “happy accident,” said Dr. Kenneth Maverick, founder of Maverick Distilling. “We ordered several thousand pounds of rye grain to produce our Rye Whiskey. Through a mix-up at the silos, the grain we received labeled as rye turned out to be triticale. In true Maverick fashion, we decided that when life gives you triticale, make fine Texas Whiskey. We are thrilled to introduce the new Samuel Maverick Straight Triticale Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond. This expression embodies the spirit of Maverick Distilling—innovation, resourcefulness, tradition, and uncompromising quality.”

The limited-release of Samuel Maverick Straight Triticale Whiskey Bottled-In-Bond is available for purchase exclusively at Maverick Distilling in downtown San Antonio, Texas for a suggested retail price of $135 while supplies last

Old Fitz Bonded Fall 2023 Heads To Shelves

Heaven Hill Distillery has announced the release of the Fall 2023 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey at 8 years old. Comprised of barrels produced in Fall 2015, the twelfth national release ushers in the latest edition to the decanter series which adds to the bottled-in-bond legacy. Bottled in an ornate decanter, …

Bottled in an ornate decanter, the Fall edition is denoted by a black label. As was the case for the past editions, this edition’s tax strip, which has always been a signature of transparency on bottled-in-bond products, will disclose when the liquid was produced and bottled. The Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Fall edition will be available in the 750ml size on an allocated basis. It meets the strict requirements of a bottled-in-bond: the product of a single distillery from a single distilling season, aged a minimum of four years, and bottled at 100 proof or 50% alcohol by volume. This edition is available at the suggested retail price of $109.99.

The Fall 2023 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey bares a bright burnished copper color, with a nose of brown sugar and toasted bread in addition to cinnamon and nutmeg. The taste is smooth on the palate beginning with notes of peaches and cream, followed by peppery spice and caramel sweetness. Spice notes linger in the finish along with peach and pear notes and a caramelized brown sugar finale.

“As a leader of the Bottled-in-Bond category, Heaven Hill is proud to offer a premium product within this special class which showcases the authenticity and quality of the American Whiskey portfolio,” said Conor O’ Driscoll, Master Distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery. “The Fall 2023 8-year-old Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond has the best qualities of a classic Kentucky Bourbon with the unique sweetness and spice this beloved brand is known for.”

Acquired in 1999 by Heaven Hill, the legendary Old Fitzgerald line is well-known for its distilling pedigree and intriguing story behind its namesake, John E. Fitzgerald, whose legacy is also heralded by the Larceny Bourbon brand.