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When this thread was first started, I went to my cabinet and was upset to see that I hadn't a bottle of VOB BIB in the house, as there is damn near always one here...last night I found it...my stock had overflowed into another cabinet without me remembering putting them there...
Have they changed the bourbon any or have they just dropped the "bottled in bond" from the label?
It's still 100 proof, and it's still six years old. The only change they could make would be blending, I mean mingling more than one distillery or season. Barton isn't likely to use bourbon from another distillery, and mingling more than one bourbon would mean using older bourbon, which doesn't make sense.
The ones I've seen all state bottled in bond, of course at DSP-KY-12. Mine however now technically is not bonded since I mingled it with some VOB bonded from the early 1990's.
The bourbon is excellent, aromatic, quite full-flavoured from the rye small grains. There is good residual wood sweetness with a touch of barrel char.
Very drinkable neat and a fine value at just $12.48 (purchased in Bardstown).
Gary
Unless I manage to get to Kentucky, it won't find its way onto my shelf... but Chuck graciously made it available at his tasting session back in April. What a shame it isn't more widely available, in any case!
I had one bottle of VOB BIB in my bunker. I also picked up another bottle on Friday from Liquor Barn in Lexington. That bottle is also designated as BIB. Guess that will be my pour this evening since it's the BOTM.
Taking BIB off the label would give them a little more flexibility, to use whiskey produced in the same year but not the same season, for example. The use of some even older whiskey does, in fact, make sense as it might be desirable in terms of maintaining the flavor profile. That's why Old Forester Signature isn't a bond even though it's 100 proof. They want to be able to use older whiskey to get the target taste profile. As any Gillmanizer knows, a little bit of good whiskey will make a mediocre whiskey a lot better.
Opened the VOB BIB and like it very very much. This is my first try of a Barton product and am now sad that I didn't pick up more bottles. My 16 year old daughter asked what I was drinking and I told her a new bourbon. She smelled it and announced "I'm picking up some chocolate and nutmeg". I think she's right.
I had some at Greg's and we both agreed it was excellent.
It has a unique flavor but I couldn't say what it is right now. We sampled some in the middle of a series of other bourbons, including a 9yo Weller Antique 107pf and ORVW 10yr. I need to taste it a little more analytically.
I had some hesitation about the VOB BIB. In fact, Greg could have picked up a bottle for me and I turned him down, to my sorrow it turns out. The reason I was hesitant is I had a negative reaction to the VOB 86pf that I bought from LeNell's. That one was very dry, almost astringent, and woody despite it's young age.
I need to offer a correction to the VOB 86pf. I misremembered what I tasted. Here's my brief notes from last July:Taste: Wood, light leather, menthol — unexpected for a 6 y/o bourbonOverall: Not my favorite, but an interesting change of pace. Unique flavor profile.
Mouthfeel: medium, numbs the lips
Finish: Mint and menthol, dry
Very different experience than the BIB. I'd try it again to refresh my memory, but I dropped the bottle and broke it. :shithappens:
I don't recall seeing this on the San Diego Shelves. I'm headed out to a different part of town for a beer fest today, so I plan on doing some hunting around in those stores. I'll add this to my list of things to keep an eye out for.