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🥃Review #24 Costco's Kirkland Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon

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Kirkland Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey on a wood table in front of a lamp and blue chair

📚Background:  Distilled and Bottled by Barton 1792 in Bardstown, this Bonded iteration joins Kirkland Small Batch and Single Barrel as annual attempts to capitalize on the bourbon furor of the last few years. Small batch usually arrives in the June-July timeframe with Bonded and Single Barrel following over the ensuing months. It features an attempt at a crafted aesthetic with the askew proof label and bottled-in-bond traditional green ribbon seal. Not much other information on these bottles is available. Try as I might, I couldn't find any additional color from Barton officially. 1792 heavily markets their Bourbon as a cocktail component, and the typically spicy notes do help them stand out. I've linked their cocktail and style guide here: 1972 Bourbon Cocktail & Style Guide.

🛒Sourced: $24.79 Costco - Atlanta, GA for a 1L bottle. 750ml price would be $18.72 (around the same unit price as Mellow Corn or Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond). My Costco has gotten a single pallet twice a year for a while now, but once it's gone, it's gone. Typically the pallet is sold out within two weeks, so a reasonable shot at grabbing a bottle but still fairly quick for that quantity. I have seen the bottles arrive in mid July and then again right before Christmas. There are some some eye-popping prices posted in other states, as much as $37-41 in Washington and Michigan. 

🧪Proof: 100, 50% ABV

🎨Color: R3- Some color to it for sure, about the same color as small batch. 

🥔Mash Bill:  74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley, assumed to be the same as the mainline 1792 Mash Bill. Definitely a higher rye composition. No age statement but we know it's at least four years. Barton is known for an interesting barrel char half way between a 3 and 4. Barrel entry poof is 125. 1792 Bottled in bond goes for $40, though it is quite hard to find. Wolcott BiB is in theory the same juice though sourced through spirits direct. For almost half the price of the 1792 Bonded, I'm a buyer. Thanks to the bonded designation, we know that all of the barrels used in this bottle must be from the same distillation season and at meeting the aforementioned age requirement which reduces the likelihood of any stinker barrels in the batch. 

👃Nose: Bit of abrasive sharpie collapses into actually pretty nice lavender and floral notes. New wood predominates. Was concerned from my first sniff but this nose ends up being more "whiskey flavored whiskey" than industrial chemical. All in all, not too bad on the ole sniffer. 

Coming back to the bottle after some time has passed, the nose has opened beautifully. Chocolate covered cherry is the main thrust and most of the chemical off odors have collapsed, a major upgrade.

😜Palate: Sweeter than I expected. Semi-viscous on the tongue, perhaps a little thin. Mild alcohol heat, way less abrasive than Kirkland Small batch. I get a bit of orchard or green apple towards the aft palate shifting into chocolate pastry. Some nuttiness. 

💦Finish: Peppery and warm, medium in duration.  Rye character is pronounced but nothing else new. Does build over time to a crescendo that is a little hot for the proof.

🏆 Overall: 6/10 - Very Good - I wanted to kill the hype on this one, but there's something to it. Good juice at a good price is a pretty compelling argument. Add to the picture a few times a year scarcity and we're off to the races. This is truly just a young 1792 Bottled-In-Bond and that carries quite a good deal of quality points with it. Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond benefits greatly from a little bit of oxidation, and it has enough to keep you interested neat, on the rocks, or a couple pours deep. The cherry chocolate nose explodes on the palate with laudable gusto. Crack it open, pour one, and let it sit for a month or two to open up. Such an upgrade from Kirkland Small batch (see links below). Costco has a few meme bottles but this isn't one of them. At this price point, I like Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond more for straight sipping but could see myself preferring this bottle in a mixed drink. I would have bumped the rating higher but the neck pour is really a bit rough and it still drinks a little hot.

Tipsy Test: This is in our price range for a good overpour test... and it passes with flying colors. I'm pleasantly surprised with this bottle. Honestly, it's at its best a pour or two into a session. Any sundry heat or abrasiveness fades away as the tongue mellows and you're left with a blank canvas of oak, vanilla, and pepper. Simple and sweet. Wow. May be going back for another if they've got it still. 

See how it compares to Total Wine's Wolcott Bottled-in-Bond in our series of blind tastings.

💵Would buy again? Yes, great for some variety in the daily drinker rotation

See how this bottle compared to our reviews of another budget champion Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond or the full text of our thoughts on Kirkland Small Batch.

Costco.com Kirkland Bourbon Lineup - Small Batch, Bottled-in-Bond, and Single Barrel
A Kirkland Bourbon Family Photo

⚖️Rating Scale: 

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out 
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice. 
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.
5 | Good | Good, an agreeable dram indeed
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
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