This month marks a milestone for Breaking Bourbon as we will post our 100th review. To celebrate, we will be posting a series of Bottled in Bond (BiB) whiskey reviews starting with the 100th.

To be labelled BiB, 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 BiB label must clearly identify the distillery where it was distilled and where it was bottled, if different.

While the bourbon boom has created a fervor around just about any American whiskey that is limited or even appears that way to the public, the past few years have shown us that limited does not always mean “good.” Though the BiB designation does not guarantee quality either, it is interesting to point out that many of the budget buys in American whiskey are, in fact, BiB bottlings. Some believe that the significance of BiB is that it is a true representation of a distiller’s capability, demonstrating what can be accomplished during a single distillation season at a single distillery.

While we can’t blame bourbon enthusiasts for wanting to hunt down those hard to find limited editions, it often seems that many of the low cost options, many of them BiB, seem to be overlooked entirely by folks newer to the bourbon enthusiast community. After all, the BiB whiskeys just don’t receive the same fanfare and sub $20 bottles with screwcaps (as many of them are) arguably lack a certain “sexy” appeal. With that in mind, we encourage you to follow along as we review a series of these BiB whiskeys over the upcoming weeks. If you have not experienced them yet, a little hunting may be in order. A word of caution though, for some of them you may need to direct your attention towards the bottom shelves and as a result you may just find some extra cash left over after you’ve made your purchase, something you probably have not experienced when purchasing a limited edition lately.

Cheers!

Eric, Nick & Jordan
Breaking Bourbon Team

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