BourbonEnthusiast.com

Here's some of my BIB whiskeys including a couple really old ones. Trying to get even more!

Got two more Bottled In Bonds! The Laird's apple brandy has been made by the same family since 1780. There's about 10 or 12 more BIB whiskeys I don't have and apparently I can't get them in my state! Time for a road trip!

dude, this hobby is only fun if you actually drink the stuff. crack some open!

I suggest starting with the two Heaven Hill bottles!

393foureyedfox wrote:dude, this hobby is only fun if you actually drink the stuff. crack some open!

I suggest starting with the two Heaven Hill bottles!

I buy extras for drinking, finished a bottle of OGD BIB(great stuff) and currently have an open bottle of Evan Williams white label, Knob Creek, Baker's, and Old Overholt among others.

How is that Old Heaven Hill gold label? I have one lying around that I haven't tried yet.

AustinMilbarge wrote:How is that Old Heaven Hill gold label? I have one lying around that I haven't tried yet.

I hear it's good but like you I've never tried it.

Found a couple more! They're both quite good.

Found two more!
The Fairfax County Virginia Bourbon is from 1976.

Nice.

Can anyone explain to me why BIB is such a "cool thing" now? I understand historical reasons for it and why it mattered back then but in 2015 it just seems like a new buzz word marketing trick. No? Or in other words why would i pick BIB over anything else in similar taste/age/proof categories?

In 1897 the Bottled In Bond act was passed and it set the standard for quality whiskey. It was and still is a way to guarantee the strength and quality of the product and to this day I think it's still the most regulated and restricted kind of whiskey you can get.
From Wikipedia:
"To be labeled as Bottled-in-Bond or Bonded, the liquor must be the product of one distillation season (January to December) and one distiller at one distillery. It must have been aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 (U.S.) proof (50% alcohol by volume). The bottled product's label must identify the distillery where it was distilled and, if different, where it was bottled. Only spirits produced in the United States may be designated as bonded."

Being a fan of history, a collector, and having a bottle of bonded whiskey made in 1914, it's only natural that I would try to get as many bonded whiskeys as possible.
There used to be a lot more of them than what we have today. With the increased popularity of bourbon and old style cocktails it's no wonder bonded bourbons seem to be making a comeback.

i find them a good way to 'level the playing field' of many of the distilleries. each one (of the ones that participate) shows what they can do within the same parameters as the others...which probably isnt what it was intended to do from a historical/legal perspective....but is the way I look at it.

Originally it was proof of authenticity. With BIB labeling requirements you knew who made it, when and where distilled and bottled, also an assurance you were getting the real deal instead of a mystery whisky sourced from who knows where. Back then even some quality brands like Old Forester and Old Fitzgerald were produced by the label owner who may or may not have made the product themselves, so the field was wide open for common dealers to whip up a batch using a few good barrels to stretch out a supply of lower quality stuff. Unscrupulous dealers even made fake whisky by flavoring GNS with things like caramel and tobacco juice.

So BIB set a standard for quality and served as a benchmark for the others to match. Well into recent times (50s, 60s, 70s) the top of the line for all brands was a 100 proof BIB bottled at 8 years old.

Ive got tons of different bourbons/ryes/whiskies here, but I almost always end up with a pour of 6 year HH BIB. Cant beat the value. I know its a KY/IN/OR thing in terms of distribution, but if you cant get it, Evan Williams BIB is a close thing to settle on. The gold label HH BIB is a goner and a dusty now. Being that the 6 year BIB was only a dollar more than the gold label, I rarely found an urge to buy the gold label. I am almost willing to bet they dc'ed the gold label and just started selling it for $5 more with the EW BIB label on it....which at $14 or so is still a good value.

Another one that's in the category, though hard to find, is Virgin Bourbon, 101 proof at 7 years of age.