Bottled in bond (BIB) is a label for an American-produced

distilled beverage Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. While the ...

that has been aged and bottled according to a set of legal regulations contained in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

government's Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, as originally specified in the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. As a reaction to widespread adulteration of American whiskey, the act made the federal government the guarantor of a spirit's authenticity, gave producers a

tax incentive A tax incentive is an aspect of a government's taxation policy designed to incentive, incentivize or encourage a particular economic activity by reducing tax payments. Tax incentives can have both positive and negative impacts on an economy. Amo ...

for participating and helped ensure proper accounting and the collection of tax that was due. Although the regulations apply to all spirits, most bonded spirits are whiskeys in practice.

Requirements

To be labeled as bottled-in-bond or bonded, the liquor must be the product of one

distillation Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

season (January–June or July–December) by one distiller at one distillery. It must have been aged in a federally

bonded warehouse A bonded warehouse, or bond, is a building or other secured area in which imported but dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. They may then be again exported without payment of duty. ...

under U.S. government supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 (U.S.)

proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

(50%

alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of Alcohol (drug), alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest ...

). The bottled product's label must identify the distillery where it was distilled and, if different, where it was bottled. Some consumers consider the term to be an endorsement of quality, while many producers consider it archaic and do not use it. Because bottled-in-bond whiskey must be the product of one distillation season, one distillery, and one distiller—whereas ordinary

straight whiskey Straight whiskey (or straight whisky), as defined in United States law, is whiskey that is distilled from a fermented (malted or unmalted) cereal grain mash to a concentration not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (abv) and aged in new charred ...

may be a product of the mingling of straight whiskeys (of the same grain type) with differing ages and producers within a single state—it may be regarded as a better indication of the distiller's skill, making it similar in concept to a single malt, small batch, or single barrel whiskey.

Bottled-in-Bond Act

One purpose of the Bottled-in-Bond Act was to create a standard of quality for

bourbon whiskey Bourbon whiskey (; also simply bourbon) is a Aging (food), barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the Kingdom of France, French House of Bourbon, although the precise source of inspiration is uncerta ...

. Prior to the act's passage, much of the whiskey sold as

was anything but. So much of the product was adulterated—flavored and colored with

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, and other substances—that some perceived a need for verifiable quality assurance. The practice was also connected to

tax law Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...

, which provided the primary incentive for distilleries to participate. Distilleries were allowed to delay payment of the

excise tax file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...

on the stored whiskey until the aging of the whiskey was completed, and the supervision of the warehouse ensured proper accounting and the eventual collection of the tax. This combination of advantages led a group of whiskey distillers led by Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. (creator of Old Taylor bourbon) to join with then-Secretary of the Treasury John G. Carlisle to fight for the Bottled-in-Bond Act. To ensure compliance, Treasury agents were assigned to control access to so-called bonded warehouses at the distilleries. In addition to producing bonded bourbon, some companies produce bonded rye whiskey, corn whiskey, and applejack.

Requirements

Bottled-in-Bond Act

See also

References

Further reading