What is/are your favorite BIB('s)

[trumpstylz]

What's your favorite Bonded whiskey- including rye and mellow corn? Let's go ahead and exclude Wild Turkey American Spirit (not fair to compare an 18$ bottle to a 100$ bottle).

I'll go first:

My first four are a very close race.

1. VOB

2. Rittenhouse

3. Old Forester (not sure if it's still bonded- but its good)

4. OGD (most recent bottling was a bit thinner/less spicy than I remember it, but still really good)

Heavenhill is also pretty good, but I haven't got hold of the 6 year yet. I've only had EW BIB one time about 5 years ago when I went to a Volunteers game in knoxville, but as I remember it was tasty.

Mellow corn is also good, but I recently had some Old fitz BIB and was kind of disappointed (might have just been a bad bottle though).

[callmeox]

1) Four Roses Single Barrel

2) VOB

3) Rittenhouse

3a) JTS Brown

With a large gap between 1 and the rest.

[Parkersback]

Ox, do you find JTS Brown to be better/different than other HG BIB's?

S

It barely matters for me inasmuch almost none of them are available in NYC. But I'll be in KY soon & want to pick a few up.

[Josh]

Of those described as BiBs on the label... (for the smarty pants)

1. Very Old Barton BiB

2. Old Grand-dad BiB

3. Henry McKenna 10 y/o BiB

4. Heaven Hill 6 y/o BiB (White Label)

5. Rittenhouse Rye BiB

In the "decent mixer" category: Old Fitz BiB, JTS Brown BiB

Dusties: Old Forester BiB, ND era OGD BiB, JW Dant BiB (had some of that at Doug's place last spring, holy cats was that tasty!)

[callmeox]

Ox, do you find JTS Brown to be better/different than other HG BIB's?

S

It barely matters for me inasmuch almost none of them are available in NYC. But I'll be in KY soon & want to pick a few up.

I also like the gold label bonded HH, but JTS Brown is available in Ohio so I picked the o.e I can get with a short drive.

Is it better? None of the cheap bonds will knock me off of my feet, but I recognize them for their superior price/value return.

Perhaps I need to do a HH green, HH gold, JTS comparo to see if there is a marked difference.

[p_elliott]

I like the Riittenhouse Rye BIB, EW BIB, HH BIB 6 yr, and OGD BIB.

[trumpstylz]

Of those described as BiBs on the label... (for the smarty pants)

1. Very Old Barton BiB

2. Old Grand-dad BiB

3. Henry McKenna 10 y/o BiB

4. Heaven Hill 6 y/o BiB (White Label)

5. Rittenhouse Rye BiB

Wow, I didn't know Henry Mckenna 10 yr existed- sounds good!

[Josh]

Wow, I didn't know Henry Mckenna 10 yr existed- sounds good!

It won't knock yer socks off but it's a sweet, subtle pre-supper or summertime sipper. It will only set you back $33 at Binny's or $30 here in the Great Lakes State.

[sailor22]

Old Bourbon Hollow BiB

JTS Brown BiB

Dusties;

JWDant BiB from the '70's and early '80's.

Old Taylor BiB from the same era.

Old Grand Dad BiB from ND

[squire]

There are four BIBs available to me so I may as well call them my regulars if not favorites, Barton, Grand Dad, Heaven Hill and Dant.

[kickert]

Ritt BIB

[roostercogburn]

OGD and Ritt BiB. Both are absolute steals

[ErichPryde]

Beam BIB

Rittenhouse BIB

Old Fitz BIB (80s)

[G.H.Adams]

The following:

OGD

Ritt 100

Henry McKenna

HH white

Old Fitz

[ErichPryde]

I gotta add (dusty) Colonel Lee BIB to the list. great stuff. and ETL BUB. wait... that's a BUB not a BIB.

[flintlock]

Beam BIB

Rittenhouse BIB

Old Fitz BIB (80s)

Hey...no fair!! :grin:

My Big Three:

VOB BiB

EW BiB (White Label)

McKenna SB (a new found favorite)

That's a lot of good whiskey right there.

I also like Ritt BiB but am only about half way into my first bottle, and haven't decided if it's a favorite or not.

[Robmo]

WL Weller Centennial is one of my favorites. Great for sippin' neat in the wintertime. Goes well with Raymond Chandler novels.

Rittenhouse 100 is great. Used it in Manhattans and Old-fashioneds all the time. Sadly, it did not last long.

Can't say I've been lucky enough to try many of the others.

[ratcheer]

Rock Hill Farms, Henry McKenna 10 Y.O., Old Grand Dad

Tim

[trumpstylz]

Rock Hill Farms, Henry McKenna 10 Y.O., Old Grand Dad

Tim

I keep forgettin that all the the 100 prf single barrels are BIB's.

[CorvallisCracker]

I keep forgettin that all the the 100 prf single barrels are BIB's.

[squire]

Tim I was going to toss in Rock Hill but couldn't remember if it was bonded. Suppose I could have stepped around to the local but I'm saving that temptation for tomorrow.

[ErichPryde]

Hey...no fair!! :grin:

No fair? Beam BIB hasn't been made in nearly 40 years either .

WL Weller Centennial is one of my favorites. Great for sippin' neat in the wintertime. Goes well with Raymond Chandler novels.

Rittenhouse 100 is great. Used it in Manhattans and Old-fashioneds all the time. Sadly, it did not last long.

Can't say I've been lucky enough to try many of the others.

Didn't realize that Centennial was bonded. not a single bottle I have says that anywhere.

Rock Hill Farms, Henry McKenna 10 Y.O., Old Grand Dad

Tim

SNAP about RHF. the old bonded stuff from the mid 90s WAS good. and good call- except for the fact that I've found some I almost forgot it was bonded ever.

[Robmo]

Didn't realize that Centennial was bonded. not a single bottle I have says that anywhere.

[callmeox]

Mine says it's one hundred proof...so that makes it bonded, as far as I understand the term bonded. I was also under the impression that the name Centennial was an indirect reference to the "100 proof". (I could be wrong about all this!)

100 proof is only one of the qualifiers for Bottled in Bond.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=210527&postcount=18

[squire]

Rob if it doesn't say 'Bottled in Bond' somewhere on the label or bottle then it doesn't meet all the requirements. That isn't to say it is any less of a whisky though, I'm perfectly satisfied with 100 proof.

Years ago Bottled in Bond was an indication that you were buying a superior product but that distinction has blurred over time. The Bonded designation means the whisky was distilled in one season by one master distiller at one distillery and placed in new charred oak barrels to age for a minimum of four years in a government supervised Federally bonded warehouse, then bottled at 100 proof. The whisky could be aged longer but four years is the minimum.

The Bottled in Bond Act was passed in 1897 and one of it's original purposes was to ensure the consumer was getting the real deal as opposed to less desirable whisky imitations that were then on the market.

A hundred years ago distilleries shut down during the summer because it was too hot to make good whisky so distilling took place during the Spring and Fall and these periods were known as seasons. So, one season, one master distiller, one distillery and then locked up under government supervision until ready to be bottled for sale. Of course all this didn't make the whisky any better but did assure it's authenticity.

The term is archaic now because distilleries can run year round and quality control is not dependent on the supervision of one person. Some brands (Old Forester Signature comes to mind) that could qualify as Bonded no longer do so and the whisky is none the worse for it.

Frankly, we consumers may be better served by the producers having more leeway in mingling whiskies of different seasons to provide us with consistent quality in their regular brands.