Is all bourbon "bottled in bond"?

[arsbadmojo]

I'm having trouble understanding the concept of "bottled in bond". Some definitions seem to reflect that it refers to an unblended whiskey being barrel aged for 4 years, others have to do with a regulatory procedure dealing with an "excise tax" - where the whiskey is allowed to be bottled without the tax being paid until it is moved from a 'bonded' warehouse.

Can anyone clear this up?

[barturtle]

There have been several threads on this (feel free to search for them). However the main points are:
Aged at least 4 years in a bonded warehouse
Bottled at 100 proof
All whiskey from a single distilling season.

The bonded warehouse means that you dont have to pay the annual taxes until you remove it from storage to be bottled.

[boone]

I'm having trouble understanding the concept of "bottled in bond". Some definitions seem to reflect that it refers to an unblended whiskey being barrel aged for 4 years, others have to do with a regulatory procedure dealing with an "excise tax" - where the whiskey is allowed to be bottled without the tax being paid until it is moved from a 'bonded' warehouse.

Can anyone clear this up?

As Timothy said, there are many threads on BIB

Here's a little more information about "Bonded"

At Heaven Hill, there a marks on the floor where partitions "used" to be. When "Bonded" (BIB) product was bottled, the line was sectioned off and no one crossed that line. Only the government men, and line help were allowed to handle the product. There's a term used in a BIB back label. Bottled in Bond under U.S. Government Supervision...Today, the government men, pop in (at random) form time to time. Almost all the supervision is in paper form. BIB product is stored in a section of it's own in the warehouse.

The government men had a tight hold on distilleries back then. HH's government man was Paul Civils (Paul's son---Dave---sill works at HH )...Paul, had the key to unlock the warehouses, tanks etc. Heaven Hill did not run until the "government man" was there to unlock the product If the government man was late for work...Heaven Hill ran late that day too.

Still to this day, all employee's (me included ) have to be bonded to handle all spirits at Heaven Hill.

Bettye Jo

[arsbadmojo]

So, it would appear that not all, and in fact most - bourbon is not BIB.

After reading some threads I guess I have a better understanding now, but I'm still confused on a couple of points....

1. Any ideas on rough percentages of bourbon is sold that is BIB vs. what is not?

2. What are the advantages (to the distiller, or the consumer) of a BIB bourbon?

[arsbadmojo]

As Timothy said, there are many threads on BIB

Here's a little more information about "Bonded"

At Heaven Hill, there a marks on the floor where partitions "used" to be. When "Bonded" (BIB) product was bottled, the line was sectioned off and no one crossed that line. Only the government men, and line help were allowed to handle the product. There's a term used in a BIB back label. Bottled in Bond under U.S. Government Supervision...Today, the government men, pop in (at random) form time to time. Almost all the supervision is in paper form. BIB product is stored in a section of it's own in the warehouse.

The government men had a tight hold on distilleries back then. HH's government man was Paul Civils (Paul's son---Dave---sill works at HH )...Paul, had the key to unlock the warehouses, tanks etc. Heaven Hill did not run until the "government man" was there to unlock the product If the government man was late for work...Heaven Hill ran late that day too.

Still to this day, all employee's (me included ) have to be bonded to handle all spirits at Heaven Hill.

Bettye Jo

Thanks Bettye Jo! Always awesome to get some 'insider' info! Totally unrelated to this topic, but I've been reading a lot about Heaven Hill lately. I didn't live in KY back in 1996, and for whatever reason never heard about the fire until I started reading about all things bourbon late last year - that was some fire y'all had!

I'm planning a trip to Bardstown this spring, and the Heritage Center is high on the list of 'must-see' things.

[barturtle]

Was hoping someone in the industry would have some idea of the percentages, but lets just say that these days its lower than it was, however many of the bourbons that aren't bottled in bond are still stored in a bonded warehouse

Advantages:
Consumer-
Was originally a sign of quality: you knew that it came from one distillery, wasn't messed with, was at least 4 years old, 100 proof, all supervised by the government... a pretty good guarantee.

Distiller-
don't have to pay taxes until bottled and ready for sale (the bonding period is now up to 20 years)
Competitive advantage over the rectifiers of the day

[TNbourbon]

...What are the advantages (to the distiller, or the consumer) of a BIB bourbon?

As noted previously, the distiller does not pay taxes on BIB until it is unbarreled, and then only on the amount dumped, not what the barrel originally held (before BIB, the government demanded that every drop off the still be levied).
As for the consumer, aside from a single-barrel bottling, it's about the only way to get a 'vintage' bourbon -- all the bourbon in a BIB bottle came from the same distillery and the same season (spring or fall).

[arsbadmojo]

As noted previously, the distiller does not pay taxes on BIB until it is unbarreled, and then only on the amount dumped, not what the barrel originally held (before BIB, the government demanded that every drop off the still be levied).
As for the consumer, aside from a single-barrel bottling, it's about the only way to get a 'vintage' bourbon -- all the bourbon in a BIB bottle came from the same distillery and the same season (spring or fall).

I see. Do most distilleries offer a BIB product? For instance, I never see MM listed as BIB, nor do I recall seeing any Beam products, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace etc.

[BobA]

I don't know how to post a link, but in January 2005, I asked about what bonded bourbons were out there, and the answer was not many. It seemed that many responses were about no-longer produced or export bourbons.
Bob

[Gillman]

They are scattered, first of all. Grandad is seen regularly as a BIB. So is Ancient Age. Heaven Hill has a number of bondeds. Knob Creek qualifies as a bonded even though the label does not say so. Any single barrel product, if 4 years old and 100 proof or more, is a bonded albeit the label does not say so. If it is under 100 proof, it is a near-bonded so to speak (e.g. Elmer T. Lee). There are various cat and dog labels that appear in bonded regularly, but it depends on the market. You have to cast a wide net when looking for these. If truth be told there is really no magic in the name anymore.

Gary