If your dad loves bourbon, you might want to get him a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle for Father’s Day. The problem is you are very unlikely to find a bottle, but that’s okay. The nice thing about bourbon is that it’s so safeguarded by so many rules, you’d be hard pressed to find a bad bottle on the shelf. One way to assure you’re picking up a quality bottle is by looking for the words “Bottled In Bond” on the label.
The Bottled In Bond Act was passed in 1897 as one of America’s earliest consumer protection laws. Before that, rectifiers could pass off neutral grain spirits mixed with things like prune juice, iodine and battery acid as bourbon. People were getting sick, and something had to be done to protect bourbon’s good name as well as the lives of those who were drinking it.
Bonded bourbon, in addition to meeting the strict guidelines of what constitutes bourbon, must have been distilled in one distillery in the same season, aged a minimum of four years and bottled at exactly 100 proof. This means there can’t be whiskeys from other distilleries mixed in, and there can’t be a little of last season’s leftovers thrown in.
Most Bottled In Bond offerings are not available outside Kentucky, but you can still find Jim Beam’s new BIB and a few others. If you’re in Kentucky, I like many of Heaven Hill’s BIB offerings, such as JTS Brown BIB and Heaven Hill BIB, but you can get fancy with a Henry McKenna 10 year old BIB if you really want to spend a little more on dad this year. Old Grandad is a great BIB offering, and it has the added value of gently poking fun at your dad for his advanced age. Very Old Barton BIB and EH Taylor BIB are also great offerings.
Show dad you care about quality this Father’s Day without breaking the bank!
Photos Courtesy of Old Grandad, Jim Beam, Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace
