Castle & Cairn

Not to be confused with the sub-$20 and now discontinued 6-year old iteration of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond, the current 7-year-old bottling , introduced in 2019, is a mid-market offering known to many as a reliably good pour. In 1939, four years after its opening, Heaven Hill put out their first namesake Bottled-in-Bond which at the time quickly became the best selling bourbon in the state of Kentucky. The distillery has one of the largest portfolios of Bottled-in-Bond whiskeys in the world, joined by brands like Mellow Corn, Rittenhouse, Henry Mckenna, and Evan Williams in offering a bonded version. Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond is well awarded, having won Double Gold (ISC 2024), Double Platinum (ASCOT 2024), and World Whisky of the year (Bartender Spirits Awards), and is routinely offered up by some whiskey influencers as a recurring favorite. 🛒 Sourced:  $45.99 - 750ml - Costco Perimeter, GA - I sometimes see it for a few dollars cheaper. The 6-year version was perhaps too...

Produced (at the time of this bottling) by Heaven Hill in Bardstown Kentucky, Ezra Brooks is a brand owned by Lux Row which itself is a property of the Indiana overlords at Midwest Grain Products.  There are 99 proof, 99 proof finished, rye, and seven-year versions of Ezra Brooks floating around. They have a robust private barrel  program and also have put out a number of distiller select barrels to large retailers to get rid of excess inventory. Lux Row now produces the juice in house at their own Bardstown Facility.  🛒 Sourced:  $41.99 - 750ml - World of Beverage Smyrna, GA - Discounted as the last few bottles of a store pick, normally $54. I see distiller's selects of this around the $60 mark, though some ABC state picks are around $35. March 2025 update - seeing distiller picks in the low $50s, they're trying to move these and not having much success.  🧪 Proof:  120 proof, 60% ABV  - This is a great example of how "Cask Strength" is not a regulat...

In a TTB filing , Heaven Hill soft announces a new Old Fitzgerald edition whiskey: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 7-Year Bourbon. The Old Fitzgerald decanter line has long been a coveted edition, but low supply and high demand means that it is terribly hard to find, particularly for anything close to suggested retail price. Official press from the distiller has not yet occurred, but we have put together the following details.  About Old Fitzgerald From Heaven Hill's wheated mash bill (68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Barley), the Old Fitzgerald decanter series is a Bottled-in-Bond offering released twice annually. This mash bill is also likely shared by the Larceny series of products, all aged in #3 char barrels.  Old Fitzgerald Decanter Series Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond credit @Bourbonconky posted on X.com by  Bourb Your Enthusiasm The new product will have a seven year age statement, and per the bottled-in-bond act will consist of bourbon produced by Heaven Hill wit...

  📚 Background:   Crafted by Heaven Hill from a pervasive mash bill, this 10-year old bonded bourbon is distinguished by being one of the few bonded single barrels in circulation. In 2019, it won "Best in Show Whiskey" at the San Francisco World spirits competition, catapulting a $30ish dollar bottle into the stratosphere. Double H had this to say in response: “Quality and consistency are two values that have persisted across Heaven Hill since our company began distilling American Whiskey in 1935,” said Heaven Hill's President Max L. Shapira. “Henry McKenna, and our entire American Whiskey portfolio, is a shining example of the tradition instilled by our late Master Distiller Parker Beam and carried forth by our unrivaled team at Heaven Hill Distillery. While we certainly enjoy the recognition of our passion, it is the commitment of our people who bring these products to life that gives us the most satisfaction.” As with all single barrel bourbons, there will likely be ...

📚 Background:   Elijah Craig has grown on me over the years. While I've had inconsistent experiences with barrel picks/private barrels, I love their thrice yearly barrel proof selection and have a warm spot in my heart for the original. Somewhat hard to find, I was happy to chance onto another bottle of Toasted Barrel when stopping in to replenish my standard spirits. This bottle is a Reddit favorite and I often see people mention it as their personal highlight.  Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel  starts its life as normal Elijah Craig before getting a second aging in custom toasted new oak barrels to take on more sweet wood. The original aging is in level 3 charred oak containers (these are fairly typical for bourbon), while the second is toasted and then flash charred. Toasting  is the process of exposing the wood to a longer and lower heat that penetrates deeper into the wood, low and slow similar to smoking or barbequing. If all goes well, this produces an expand...

  📚 Background:   The same mash bill as Evan Williams, bottles of this series are dumped from hand selected barrels of whiskey by Evan's master distiller each year since 1986. One of the cheapest and most tenured single barrel editions on the market (Benchmark Single Barrel at $25 is the other that comes to mind), Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage has fantastic labeling for a budget bottle, including both the barreled and bottled dates. Like wine, it prominently features the barreling year on the label. I love the lore even if it's not likely to mean much (single barrels do tend to vary quite a bit even in famed and expensive editions). Each barrel likely produces 250-300 bottles depending on the amount absorbed by the wood and evaporation. To further the crafted aesthetic, each bottle is topped with black wax and has a little booklet necklace with further marketing material around the neck. It has been awarded "Whiskey of the Year" by the Spirit Journal , "...

  📚 Background: Released in three batches per year, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Straight Kentucky  Bourbon Whiskey is almost always a hit with aficionados. Barrel proof means that, of course, the whiskey is not cut with water after being dumped from the barrel. The "Private Barrel" moniker further tells you that not the barrel was specially selected and not batched or blended. This can cut both ways as single barrel whiskies sometimes differ significantly from their batched counterparts which have the benefit of distiller curation to even out any off notes. If your local store owner's tastes align with yours, their barrel picks may be better than anything else you can find. On the other hand, a less conscientious selector may pick you a big loser of a barrel. This bottle comes from Costco which means that the private barrel is a "distiller's selection" and not picked by a Costco employee specifically. Typically for these big releases the manufacturer will try...

Rittenhouse and Redemption Rye are always dueling in my mind for dominance of the lower end of the rye market. Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond is a well loved and long-of-tooth brand that is a mellow entry point into the rye whiskey genre.  📚 Background:  Debuting shortly after Prohibition's end, Rittenhouse Square Straight Rye Whiskey was launched by Continental Distilling Corporation in Philadelphia, it's name paying homage to Philadelphia's famed Rittenhouse Square , long a fashionable district with sprawling mansions and art institutions. During WWII, shortages forced production stoppages and changes to plant, so Continental Distilling reintroduced the spirit in 1948 as simply "Rittenhouse," a 4-year-old Bottled-in-Bond rye and it remained a cheap and reliable iteration of the format. Heaven Hill acquired the Rittenhouse brand in 1993, a time when rye whiskies were not particularly popular. Heaven Hill stuck to their instincts, keeping Rittenhouse afloat in the f...

Heaven Hill is an institution in the whiskey world, manufacturing such deft drams as Henry McKenna, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, Parker's and Elijah Craig. Savvy buyers know that many of their bottles meet or beat those of similarly priced and exhaustingly hunted Buffalo Trace products. Take a scroll through Reddit, X(formerly known as Twitter) or many a forum and you'll see this bottle as a recurring pick for the best value in bourbon. Here's my take on the budget beast, Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond: 🛒 Sourced: 1.75L   Tower Spirits - ATL, GA  $26.89 - This is a competitive intent price match of Total Wine which is $26.99. That's $11.57 for the 750ml equivalent. Rock bottom prices for a bonded whiskey. 🧪 Proof:  100, 50%  📚 Background : As regulated by the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897, Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond is a beefed up version of the ever population Evan Williams black label. Master Williams, the namesake, opened Kentucky's first commercial distillery al...

🛒 Sourced: Costco 52.99 - 1.75L 🧪 Proof: 94 📚Background: Heaven Hill's mainstay named after Reverend Elijah Craig himself, the man credited with first using charred oak barrels to age whiskey. ECSB is made using Level 3 charred barrels (35 second burn) which is fairly typical despite it's use in the manufacturer copy. Currently a blend of 8-12 year old whiskey, HH dropped the 12-year age statement in 2016, likely due to increased demand for the more premium EC offerings. 🥔Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 12% malt barley, 10% rye. An Elijah Craig or Larceny barrel hunt will cull out 200 barrels or less to be dumped and mingled. 👃Nose : Some reasonable complexity here, not much alcohol, vanilla bean and fruited sweetness. 😛Palate: Smooth and even throughout with mild warmth. Wood character with some spices, nutmeg is the official consensus and I agree. Finish is very sweet. ✍Notes on use: I would drink this neat, with a small ice cube, or in a lower dilution cocktail. ...

Credit: heavenhilldistillery.com 📚 Background: Larceny Barrel Proof has been a favorite of many high proof but budget conscious consumers for years. Released three times per year (January Batch A, May Batch B, and September Batch C), this uncut version of larceny's standard wheated goodness has increased in community esteem since its launch in 2020.  🛒 Sourced:  $59.99  Costco, GA 750ml - What a Deal! SRP is $64.99 🧪Proof: 124.2 proof, 62.1% ABV  🍴Prep: Rested in a Glencairn for 10 minutes 👃 Nose: Surprisingly mild for the proof, slightly sweet overall with some nuttiness, pecan, mingled with traditional bourbon oak, bold but not astringent. Second nose you get some of the distinctive Heaven Hill mint.  🥔 Mash Bill:  68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley.  An Elijah Craig or Larceny barrel hunt will cull out 200 barrels or less to be dumped and mingled. For the barrel proof offerings, these undergo additional high scrutiny by a t...