There's a wealth of , including understanding , and another term you might see as you go along is "bottled-in-bond," otherwise known as "bonded" whiskey. You'll notice that if that term's on an American spirit bottle's label, there's never an explainer to go along with it. But if you see that particular term, it means that this whiskey follows a certain set of guidelines for aged spirits that ensure a certain level in quality, created in 1897 thanks to the Bottled in Bond Act.
That's because back then, moonshine posed a genuine health risk if you were consuming it. Unscrupulous producers would adulterate their products with things that could potentially harm its consumers (think gasoline or methanol), and the Bottled in Bond Act ensured that a bottle marked as such was guaranteed to be a safe and quality product. The rules for bottled-in-bond whiskey In order to be officially considered bottled-in-bond, American aged spirits like bourbon and rye whiskeys have to satisfy multiple criteria.
First, it has to be bottled at a 50% alcohol by volume (100 proof) minimum, which is why bonded whiskeys tend to be strong. Then, it also has to be made by a single distillery in a single distillation season, which is designated by spring or fall. The whiskey also needs to be aged for at least four years, and it has to be done so in a U.
S. bonded warehouse, which is where it's aged tax-free until it goes out the door for distribution. Although the bottled-in-bond designation now sounds a lit.