BOTTLED IN BOND OLD FOURTH DISTILLERY BOURBON

Taking the title of Atlanta’s first distillery in the city since 1906, Old Fourth Distillery was launched in 2014, by brothers Jeff and Craig Moore, along with Andy DuVall, Justin Gray, and Gabe Pilato.  They began by releasing their own vodka, gin, and then an experimental ginger lemon liqueur.  It was after these initial releases that they began working on their first bourbon.  In January of 2015, the distilling team barreled this bourbon where it’s been aging in a small warehouse in East Atlanta.  This first batch will have a very limited 2019 release of 75 barrels.  This 4-year aged straight whiskey bourbon has the bottled in bond label and is aged using white American oak barrels.

Bottled In Bond Label

For those of you bourbonites who don’t know the phrase ‘Bottled In Bond’ let me enlighten you.  Bottled in bond or bonded is a label used for American spirits that are distilled, aged, and bottled according to a set of legal regulations from within the United States government’s Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits.  Congress originally outlined these regulations within the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897.  The purpose of the act was to create a standard of quality for bourbon whiskeys.

Before that time, the low quality of American whiskeys had become quite a problem.  Many “straight whiskeys” were being colored and flavored with iodine, tobacco, and other low-quality substances as a shortcut.  Therefore the demand for quality assurance arose and the Bottle-in-Bond Act was passed.

In order to gain the label bottled in bond or bonded, the spirit must be:

• Produced by a single distillery, within a single season
• Aged a minimum of 4 years within a federally bonded warehouse under the U.S. government’s supervision
• Bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV)

Now that the history lesson is over let’s get to the bottle!

BOTTLED IN BOND OLD FOURTH DISTILLERY BOURBON TASTING NOTES

Now for what’s in the bottle.  The mashbill for this straight bourbon whiskey is made up of 75% Corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.  The mashbill makes perfect sense to me, as this is a sweet tasting bourbon with a bit of that Rye bite to it.

The nose has a sweet undertone of honey, caramel, and vanilla that hides the fact that you’re about to drink a 100 proof bourbon.  The longer I held my nose in my glass, the more complex the scents became.  The sweet smell of honey, butterscotch, and hints of fruit give way to a welcome spiciness, that made my mouth water.

The first sips were very smooth on the front of my palette.  Then there’s more of the sweet flavor of caramel, butterscotch, and chocolate-cocoa.  After that, it builds into a more spicy dryness with a touch of warm charred oak in there.  Overall it’s very smooth whiskey that I would recommend drinking neat.  No need for any ice cubes or water here.

This bourbon has a dry, oak flavored finish that leaves a light sweetness lingering in your mouth.  I found myself enjoying the hell out of my glass of this bourbon.  If you’re a fan of those butterscotch candies that your grandmother gave you, then you’ll definitely enjoy this bourbon.

OUR VERDICT FOR BOTTLED IN BOND OLD FOURTH DISTILLERY BOURBON