J.T.S. Brown Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
50% ABV
$10-$12
Website (ok, not their web-site, but the closest thing, eh)
What the Distillery Says
(No mention of this brand on their web-site, so below is what is on the bottle)
J.T.S. Brown Kentucky’s Finest
Established 1855
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
100 Proof
Distilled and Aged in Kentucky, Bottled by
J.T.S. Brown’s Son Company, Bardstown, Kentucky
Distilled by Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc
D.S.P.-KY-1
Louisville, Kentucky
What Gary Says
Nose: A tad hot, charred oak and vanilla, hint of caramel with a bit of cinnamon, and a trace of dried mint.
Palate: Crushed vanilla wafers with a watered-down caramel sauce, bit of oak with a sharp bite of cinnamon candies.
Finish: On the shorter side, drying with cinnamon.
Comments: This is definitely a ‘value brand’. No age statement, although as ‘Bottled in Bond’ it is at least four years old (I’d guess it is pretty close to exactly four years old). My Dad would point out that this was the whiskey that ‘Fast Eddie’ Felson (played by Paul Newman) drank in “The Hustler“. If you like ‘smooth’ bourbon, this ain’t it – although adding a bit of water brings out some corn sweetness and softens the edges a bit – without completely losing them). This drinks a little hotter than 100 proof to me, and is edgy like bourbon aged at the top of the rickhouse. But for $10, it is a pretty serviceable bourbon – and there aren’t many at that price point that meet that bar in my opinion.