The Resurgence of Bottled-in-Bond Bourbons
Eagle-eyed whiskey enthusiasts may notice more “bonded” bourbons on shelves as of late. Although the designation is the oldest and strictest standard for American whiskey—established by the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897—bonded bourbons had declined significantly in past decades before a recent resurgence.
First, some history: The Bottled-in-Bond Act was America’s first federal consumer protection measure, designed to ensure that the whiskey in a bottle was genuine and free from additives. To qualify as bonded, a whiskey must be distilled by one distiller during a single six-month season, aged for at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof.
While modern standards (and subsequent regulations) have largely eliminated the need for such stringent protections, bonded status has become a badge of honor for distillers and a sign of quality for consumers. “With the resurgence of bourbon and American whiskey—and with more than 2,500 distilleries now in operation—the bottled-in-bond designation is just as important today,” says Bernie Lubbers, national brand ambassador for Heaven Hill, who is known as Mr. Bottled-in-Bond. “People want to know what they’re buying, and bonded products deliver full transparency.”
With more bottled-in-bond expressions than any other producer, Heaven Hill helped renew interest in the designation. (In February, its 2024 Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Very Very Special was named Best Kentucky Bourbon and World’s Best Bourbon at the World Whiskies Awards.) As more distillers large and small embrace the bonded standard, here are several other recent examples to try.
Bulleit Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
When Bulleit Distilling Company transitioned to its Shelbyville, Kentucky, distillery in 2017, warehouse workers spirited away a number of those initial barrels for a future bottled-in-bond release. “As it matured to four years, our blending team annually assessed its development, and at seven years, we felt it had reached the perfect balance of spice, depth, and complexity,” says Delicia James, Bulleit’s lead whiskey blender. Released in late February, Bulleit’s first bonded bourbon features a bold, spice-forward flavor with underlying creaminess. “We knew that our customers would see the expression as a representation of what our Shelbyville liquid will be moving forward,” James says.
Ironclad Distillery Co. Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
Each year on March 8, Virginia-based Ironclad Distillery releases a bottled-in-bond whiskey to mark its anniversary—which also coincides with the historic Battle of the Ironclads, from which the distillery takes its name. “I love the history of bottled-in-bond and the fact that the first-ever federal [consumer law] was to protect whiskey,” says Owen King, who co-founded the distillery in 2014 along with his sister, Kara, and their father, Stephen. “From the first day we started distilling, my clock was ticking getting ready to make a bottled-in-bond.”
This year’s anniversary release is a bonded four-grain bourbon—made with locally grown corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley—and aged for just under six years. The distillery also includes a bonded bourbon in its core lineup, and it just released a bottled-in-bond rye whiskey.
Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey
Founded in 1866, Tennessee’s Jack Daniel Distillery is one of the few that predates the Bottled-in-Bond Act. While most of its aging stock could be bottled to meet bonded status, Jack Daniel’s didn’t embrace the designation until 2022 with the debut of its Bonded Series, which includes a Tennessee whiskey, rye, and triple mash whiskey. “I think a couple of things have brought bottled-in-bond back into focus in American whiskey,” says Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. “First, the lack of transparency in the industry has become so common that consumers are recognizing that a bottled-in-bond whiskey is exactly what the label says it is.” Fletcher also credits an increasing trend toward higher-proof whiskey. “While 100 proof is far from some of the barrel-strength offerings in the market, it still provides a full flavor profile and works perfectly in classic cocktails.”
Angel’s Envy Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
Angel’s Envy is best known for its finished bourbon, which undergoes additional aging in used port casks. But last summer, it debuted its first bonded bourbon and its first unfinished release in the same svelte package, available only at its Louisville distillery. Master Distiller Owen Martin says that while founder Lincoln Henderson originally conceived the idea for a bottled-in-bond version, the release addressed two frequently heard guest remarks: “What can I get here I can’t get anywhere else?” and “This unfinished bourbon is delicious—can I buy it?”
In a bit of a full-flavored flex, Angel’s Envy bonded is also bottled at cask strength, meaning the 100-proof mark is reached not by adding water but by blending carefully selected lower-entry proof barrels with higher-proof barrels distilled the same season and aged for nearly six years. “We were able to [merge] bottled-in-bond, as historic a regulation as you get within bourbon, with the modern fervor around cask-strength whiskeys,” Martin says. “It was one of the coolest and most satisfying projects of my career to date.”
Leiper’s Fork Distillery Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
All of the core aged whiskeys from Leiper’s Fork Distillery—bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, and rye—carry the bottled-in-bond designation. Founded in 2016 with a focus on pre-Prohibition-style whiskeys, the distillery initially only sold unaged white whiskey before debuting its bottled-in-bond lineup in 2021. The craft distillery also uses locally grown grains—including corn from the chief distiller’s farm—and employs traditional pot stills to make its whiskey. “Every bit we have is produced on site,” says representative Grady Roddy. For a recent small-batch release at the distillery, Leiper’s Fork partnered with Tennessee’s Greenwood Honey Co. for a bonded bourbon finished in barrels coated with a specially blended honey mash.
