1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond Review

This 1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond was bottled the year before National Distillers was sold to the James B. Beam Distilling Company (Jim Beam, 1987) for $545 million. How do I know this? Well, by using my dusty whiskey bottle dating guide I was able to get it down to 1986 and it being […]

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1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond Review

After Beam bought ND they didn’t change the label design, but they did have to change things like DSP numbers and the UPC once they started putting Beam whiskey in the bottles. The back of this bottle says it was distilled at DSP KY 19 (Old Taylor) and bottled at DSP KY 14 (Old Grand-Dad). It also sports a UPC starting with 86259 which in some non-bonded releases is the only way to know if it’s an ND or not.

1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond Back Label

If you already knew all this, awesome, if not, this was your whiskey history lesson for the day. Now, let’s shift this review to the whiskey in the bottle and get to drinkin’.

1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Style: Bourbon
Region: Kentucky
Distiller: National Distillers

Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Rye + Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 4+ Years
ABV: 50%

Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller

Related Whiskeys

1997 Old Taylor 6 Years
Country Gentleman Medicinal Pint
EH Taylor Four Grain Bourbon
E.H. Taylor Cured Oak
Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof

White background tasting shot with the 1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it. — “This bottle has been filled and stamped in bond under United States Government supervision. Any person who shall reuse the stamp affixed to this bottle or remove the contents of this bottle without so breaking the stamp affixed thereto as to prevent reuse, or who shall sell this bottle, or reuse it for distilled spirits, will be liable to the penalties prescribed by law.” – Old Taylor

1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond Tasting Notes

EYE
Copperish amber

NOSE
Musty, dusty OBE hangs heavy with pronounced notes of caramel, vanilla, orange peel, strawberry taffy and light notes of nuts and baking spice.

No real oak notes to speak of, though it might be because the OBE is hanging so heavy even after 3+ months of being open.

PALATE
OBE! Caramel, oak, vanilla, cinnamon, dried dark fruit and some biscuity/cornbread notes with a touch of spice and cocoa.

Palate is more defined and bold despite the OBE sitting like a lead weight.

FINISH
Med-long -> Oak, cinnamon and caramel fade to more OBE.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Decent balance considering the OBE, medium-full body and a warm velvety feel.

1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond – Overall Thoughts and Score

Hmm… this is decent. The olde bottle effect hangs heavy on this one, but it doesn’t obliterate the great notes lying underneath. The available notes are a fun glimpse into the past to see what people were drinking when I was 5. Which is really the point of trying dusty old whiskey: a glimpse to the past to help understand, and set the perspective, of the current and future. At least it is for me anyway.

I found this on a dusty hunt years ago, and it’s fun to taste, and even more fun to share, but it’s not something I’d ever go out of my way for. Not something I’d spend big or go through great lengths for to try again. That said, if you can get a taste easily, and the price is in your means, get it. The 1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond is fun.

SCORE: 3/5 (above average, worth checking out ~ B- | 80-82)

1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond Neck Label

1986 Old Taylor Bottled In Bond Review NA

Summary

A fun dusty bourbon with a nice classic bourbon profile hiding under the musty notes of age.

Overall

Nose

(3)
Palate

(3)
Finish

(3)
BBF

(3)

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1975 Old Forester Bonded Review

A few months after finding the 1981 Old Forester I found this 1975 Old Forester Bonded. I stumbled upon it, tucked away in the back of a liquor store, on a dusty hunt. It was in fantastic condition, but one thing about it stood out immediately: the color. It looked a little darker than some […]

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1975 Old Forester Bonded Review

I pulled out the ’81 and the ’43 Old Forester and sat the three of them side-by-side. The color difference was shocking. A shade or two is to be expected, but the deep hue of this 4 1/2-year-old-bourbon was more like something you’d expect in a whiskey aged 3x that. This was unsual.

Color is almost never an indication of quality, so that’s not where my fascination lay with this whiskey; more around what exactly caused it. Did all the barrels from the top of the warehouse where the liquid was oversaturated with oak? A screwup that bottled older stuff than was supposed to? A mix of overoaked top and underoaked bottom barrels? So many possibilities, hopefully tasting it can yield some answers.

1975 Old Forester Bonded – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Style: Bourbon (Straight)
Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Old Forester
Mash Bill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Cask
Age: 4+ Years (Fall 1970 – Spring 1975)
ABV: 50%

Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller

White background tasting shot with the 1975 Old Forester Bonded bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it. — “This whisky is distilled by us only, and we are responsible for its richness and fine quality. Its elegant flavor is solely due to original fineness developed with care. There is nothing better in the market.” – Old Forester

1975 Old Forester Bonded Tasting Notes

EYE
Mahogany

NOSE
Dark fruit leather, oak, dark roast coffee, toffee, vanilla pod, strawberry shortcake, old leather and some baking spice and hazelnuts with a touch of sandalwood and a hint of OBE.

This is so rich, and fresh, it’s incredible. I was expecting a ton of that musty old bottle effect to float out, but no. It’s barely noticable.

PALATE
Vanilla custard, butterscotch, oak, cherry and raspberry-heavy dried dark fruit, toasted bread, hazelnuts, black tea and baking spice with a hint of OBE.

Again, the OBE on this is nearly non-existent. I’ve only had one other 70’s bottle like this and it was kept in a cool dark place (basement) the whole time. Wonder if this stayed on the floor in the back storage room of that liquor store the whole time?

FINISH
Med-Long -> Dried dark fruit, oak, caramel and baking spice fade to a chocolate pastry note.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Perfectly balanced, medium-full body and a warm heavy feel.

1975 Old Forester Bonded – Overall Thoughts and Score

I can’t get over how dark this thing is for a 4.5-year-old whiskey. Normally the color isn’t something you can truly go by, but when you smell and taste the depth and weight of this whiskey it makes me wonder what part of the rickhouse this came from. Being Bonded, I doubt this was a mistake bottling, so it has to be from the barrels.

There is a lot of oak, but it’s not an oak bomb like I’d expect from all top rack barrels that had pulled in a ton of extra oak. Was this maybe a magic selection of honey barrels blended together? The barrel composition of this is as much a mystery as exactly where/how it was stored before I bought it to keep a lot of that OBE at bay.

I picked it up in the backroom of a liquor store that had changed owners and they let me clear out their dusties. But was it there the whole time? This was the only OF BiB back there so maybe it stayed in that dark corner the entire 40+ years… but who knows. Though what I do know is that this 1975 Old Forester Bonded is an exceptional example of this whiskey.

SCORE: 4/5

1975 Old Forester Bonded Label

1975 Old Forester Bonded Review $NA