5 Of The Top Bottled In Bond Bourbons Available On Shelves Today

• Evan Williams Bottled in Bond (rb)
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• Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond
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• New Riff Bottled in Bond Bourbon
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• George Dickel Bottled in Bond
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• Bonus If You Can Find It: Beam Bonded
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• But If You Can’t Find Beam Bonded: Old Tub
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• Bonded Conclusions

Many times these days, folks are consumed by the new, interesting and honestly quite novel whiskeys dropping seemingly daily. Whether it’s a fresh new micro brand like Blue Run’s latest Flight Series, or something ultra expensive and cool such as Rabbit Hole’s Nevallier old and bold Kentucky bourbon, there’s always something flashy coming to market.

This often overshadows one of the best values in whiskey. Quite the opposite of flashy. At least 4 years old, straight bourbons available for $20-$60 are just sitting on shelves completely overlooked from time to time. Yes, of course, I’m speaking about Bottled in Bond bourbon.

If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase, no sweat. The WhiskeyRaiders team has you covered. Technical details aside, the heart of bottled in bond bourbon is two concepts: you know who made it, and you know it’s at least 4 years old. There’s a third, unspoken, pillar of bottled in bond whiskeys: they’re typically an insane value. Even better, they’ve been sitting at great prices for years.

Many of these options have climbed just a dollar or two for a bottle since 2015 when I started writing about whiskey. In 2022’s expensive, flashy, glam and glitter laden releases, it’s easy to forget the original greats. As a result, here are the best bottled in bond bourbon and ryes you can actually buy today, and they won’t break the bank.

Evan Williams Bottled in Bond (rb)

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Distilled by Heaven Hill, Evan Williams hasn’t become the monolithic whiskey powerhouse that it is without good reason. Available in the holy trinity of sizes: 750ml, 1 Liter and 1.75 Liter, Evan Williams is perhaps the best bang for buck whiskey on the planet, which earns it the feature spot in this Bottled In Bond round up.

Available under $30 in the majority of markets, Evan Williams Bottled In Bond delivers a great balance of sweet and spice, blending a great viscosity with cinnamon, vanilla and molasses. It’s shockingly complex for the age and price, and it’s versatile enough to be the star of a neat pour or cocktail alike. Mind the new redesign as well, which adds some updated flair and a saucy green stripe to the new bottles.

Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond

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Distilled by Beam, Old Grand Dad is Jim Beam’s high rye bourbon mashbill bottling. For those like their bourbon on the spicier side, higher rye percentage in the mashbill brings bolder, more savory flavor with it. Typically around $25, even less in many non-metro markets, Old Grand Dad Bottled In Bond is one of the best values out there.

As colder weather approaches, Old Grand Dad is perfect for large batches of holiday old fashioned cocktails as the proof and oak punch through other ingredients nicely. It definitely has a nuttier profile, as bourbon from Beam typically does, so if you’re not a lover of that ‘Beam Funk’ you may want to hit up another Bottled in Bond here.

New Riff Bottled in Bond Bourbon

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A self labeled “New Riff on an old tradition”, New Riff is one of the most competent craft distillers on the market who are leaving their own fingerprints all over the whiskey industry. With similar age as the other bottled in bond expressions we’ve covered so far, you’re going to pay a few dollars more, but the quality demands it.

New Riff’s Bottled in Bond bourbon put the distillery on the map alongside their booming single barrel program. New Riff has made great strides in making their Bottled in Bond bourbon available to any market that demands it, and there is hardly a better performing craft whiskey for the price. Full of toffee, honey, oak and pepper, it’s a complex sip that’s effortless to enjoy neat.

George Dickel Bottled in Bond

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Many people know that Bottled in Bond bourbon has to be at least 4 years old, but many don’t know that truly…there is no ceiling. George Dickel in Cascade Hollow, Tennessee know it though, and they love to remind us. As a result, they make their 13 Year old Bottled in Bond bourbon available to the market, and it’s probably the best deal in town, typically available under $70.

Even despite the extra time in oak, this release is Dickel whiskey through and through, packing loads of fruit, minerality, honey and a touch of caramel on the back palate, with plenty of oak. For ~$50, it’s a deal and a half, and worth a pickup anytime you see one. They can be tricky at times.

Bonus If You Can Find It: Beam Bonded

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Last but not least is Jim Beam Bonded, a whiskey discontinued in favor of Old Tub. Old Tub is great, but Jim Beam Bonded is available in most markets as low as $11. Even better, it’s objectively great whiskey. When you factor in the combination of value, the contrast it provides to Old Grand Dad’s spicier profile, and the catchy, historical label, it’s worth a snag – if you can find one.

It’s included as a bonus here because it was discontinued some time back and it’s a gem on old store shelves, but you won’t find it in a brand new or shiny big box store most days. You may, however, see Old Tub instead, which is essentially Beam’s replacement in a newer, shinier package that also bears a Limited Edition badge – despite it being released in positively mammoth volumes.

But If You Can’t Find Beam Bonded: Old Tub

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It’s Beam Bonded, but you can actually find it. That said, these are usually in the $19-29 range, depending on your market. It definitely bears updated packaging, and in sampling, it seems to have gotten a slight upgrade as well. Maybe there are some older stocks in the mix, maybe more rye. Either way, whether you have Beam Bond locally still or Old Tub at the ready, it’s worth having one on hand.

Bonded Conclusions

So, there you have it. While the title has become a bit overloaded lately with many many more Bottled in Bond whiskeys releasing to market, it’s hard to overlook some of the categories best entries, especially for budget conscious drinkers.

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