Celebrating Bottled in Bond Day

Updated: March 3, 2021

March 3rd marks 124 years since the passage of the Bottled-in-Bond Act. Find out what this still means for your Bourbon today!

Back before the days of carefully crafted whiskey and Bourbon made by some of the finest palates in the world, consumers couldn’t always be sure what was pouring out of their Bourbon bottles. Then came the Bottled-in-Bond Act. In 1897, the US government passed this law with support from distillers and drinkers alike to ensure consistency and quality.

Popularized by brands like Old Fitz, Heaven Hill, and EH Taylor, the Bottled-in-Bond act was created in part by Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. The founder of Old Taylor Bourbon and the builder of the Old Taylor Distillery (now Castle & Key), he advocated tax incentives for participating distillers for their cooperation with Treasury agents patrolling the federally bonded warehouses. Every bottle of E.H. Taylor Small Batch sold today still bears the bottled-in-bond statement.

To receive the label of “bottled-in-bond,” Bourbon must be..

– The product of one distillation season (either January to June or July to December), at one distillery, by one distiller

– Aged in a federally bonded warehouse under government supervision for at least four years

– Bottled at 100 proof

– Labeled with both the location of the distillery and the bottling

– And produced in the USA

Do you love a Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon? Tag us on instagram @bourbonreview and use the hashtag #bottledinbondday to share your favorite!

Caroline Paulus
Caroline Paulus is the Senior Editor for The Bourbon Review. She lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow her on Instagram @misswhiskeyhistorian to keep up with her latest in bourbon news - and a few old finds, too.