Early Times Bottled-In-Bond
50% ABV
$23
Website
What the Distiller Says
Early Times, a brand of Brown-Forman, introduced limited-edition Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky. The spirit is a tribute to the 75th anniversary of the original Early Times bonded bourbon recipe, the company says. Early Times Bottled in Bond Bourbon follows the guidelines of bonded bourbons and is crafted with pure water, a high corn mash bill and a proprietary yeast strain. The distillate rests in new, charred American oak barrels for a minimum of four years, resulting in a smooth and complex bourbon rich in taste a character, it says. The 50 percent alcohol-by-volume spirit offers flavors of caramel corn that melds with shortbread cookie coated with a hint of chocolate and oak with a trace of cinnamon spice, it adds. Available in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Oregon, Bottled In Bond has a suggested retail price of $22.99 for a 1-liter bottle.
[NOTE: I couldn’t find a direct reference on Brown-Forman’s web-site, so the above information is from Beverage Industry Magazine’s post. The same or very similar content was found on multiple other sources.]
What Gary Says
Nose: Thick and rich, brown sugar, freshly baked brownies, vanilla, caramel, toasted oak.
Palate: Rich sweetness (but not overly so), vanilla, salted caramel sundae with notes of chocolate and some oak.
Finish: Moderately long and wet, a bit peppery at the end.
Comments: I really like this bourbon – hands down my favorite new whiskey I tried in 2017 (excluding any unicorns/limited editions). Is it a complex, thinking dram? No, but damned if this isn’t one of the more satisfying new bourbons I’ve tried in a while. Rich and intense flavor – and I don’t know that you could beat it for the money. My only regret is only buying just the one bottle when I saw it (thinking “Hey – a liter bottle will last longer, right?”) If you’re like I was, recalling the disappointment that was Early Times 354 bourbon, I think you’ll be rewarded by giving Brown Forman another chance (I mean – not like they don’t know how to make delicious bourbon!) For the money (did I mention this is a 1 liter bottle?), this is an absolute “Must Buy”. I can’t imagine anyone buying this blind and feeling like it was a mistake.