Distillery: Barton 1792
Proof: 100
Age: NAS
Mashbill: Undisclosed (High Rye)
BACKGROUND: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond is the one of the special, annual releases, from the Barton 1792 distillery. Along with their standard 1792, Barton 1792 releases a Sweet Wheat (wheated mashbill), Port Finish, Full Proof, this Bottled-in-Bond and a 12 Year. The Bottled-in-Bond was released in 2017. It is an annual release of select barrels of high quality from the rickhouse. 1792 releases one batch of Bottled-in-Bond every fall with a proof of 100. When it was first released it carried a 6 year age statement but that has since been removed. To be labeled a bottled-in-bond bourbon, the whiskey must be the product of one distillation season and one distiller at a single distillery, aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years, and it must be bottled at exactly 100 proof. Additionally, the Bottled in Bond label must clearly identify the distillery where it was distilled and where it was bottled, if different.
NOSE: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond has a nose that singes the hair from your nose. There is a strong ethanol burn right up front on the nose but once you adjust to the burn you get some light caramel, vanilla, scents. Although there is a burn from it, the nose is surprisingly light. (16/25)
PALATE: Up front on the sip was rich and delicious notes of caramel and vanilla. As the whiskey sat for a second in our mouth the rye started to crank the spice up and tingle our mouth. The rye spice is not too overpowering but definitely takes away from the sweeter notes. 1792 Bottled-in-Bond was a little rough around the edges and straightforward to us. It had a mouthfeel that was on the lighter side for a high rye whiskey. (33/40)
FINISH: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond fades away with a fairly straightforward high-rye finish with lots of rye spice, oak, and pepper. However, 1792 Bottled-in-Bond also has a nice smokiness to the finish. It is medium in length and all the notes on the finish worked together. (20/25)
VALUE: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond carries an SRP of $35 which is great for a limited release bottled-in-bond bourbon whiskey. It isn't a standout whiskey by any means but is great as a bargain whiskey to try something new. We wouldn't spend more than $45 on it. (7/10)
Overall: 80/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond is an intriguing whiskey to me. The nose was a huge disappointment but the palate and finish came through. It seemed a little rough around the edges and carried with it some stronger rye notes than Barton's flagship, 1792 Small Batch. However, with a price of $35, this is a great buy and has many of the flavors typical of a high rye bourbon.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Michter's US*1 Bourbon
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Old Grand Dad 114
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: 1792 Small Batch
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea