Costco hit a trifecta of great bourbon expressions this year with their Master Distillers series by Barton 1792 Distillery. Their Small Batch and Single Barrel versions are some of the best whiskeys in their categories at the absolute best value per dollar of any bottle out there right now. Now, it’s finally time to take a look at the third bottle in that trio, Kirkland Signature Bottled-In-Bond by Barton 1792 Master Distillers.
This isn’t some average bottle review. I’m blind testing this bourbon against nine stone-cold classic bottled in bond bourbons — all of them f*cking delicious. I’m not giving Costco’s Bottled-In-Bond any wiggle room to eke out a win here. This is about testing the bourbon waters with the biggest and most-lauded bottles in the whole goddamn game. Can Costco’s bottle stand up to those towering bourbons? Or will it reveal itself to be a cheap — $24 (!) — bottle of bourbon in a one-liter bottle?
Our lineup today is:
- New Riff Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Aged 6 Years
- Filibuster Bottled-In-Bond Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years
- Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
- Kirkland Signature Bottled-In-Bond by Barton 1792 Master Distillers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Redwood Empire Grizzly Beast Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Batch no. 002
- George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Fall 2008
- Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled in Bond
I had my wife put the Costco bottle in there at random so that I had no clue where or when it’d pop up. This was especially important as these bourbons are all the same ABV/proof (as per “bottled in bond” law) — so there is no difference in strength to examine. By the end, I was in a conundrum. All of these bourbons are great. Ranking them was damn near impossible. There wasn’t a fault or bad note in the entire panel to pick at or rank.
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Part 1: The Tasting
Taste 1
Tasting Notes:
There was a beautiful sense of dried chili pepper next to old leather, red tart berries, a hint of sourdough rye bread, and creamy vanilla beans next to a touch of dried and waxy cacao nibs. The palate leans into that dryness with sharp woody spices, dry dark chocolate powder, ground clove, cumin, and dried cranberry next to a mild warmth that leads to chili pepper. The end has a dark chocolate-covered cherry vibe next to a light sense of dry firewood and old leather chairs from a smoky library.
This was great. It’s deep, interesting, and fun. It’s a very rye-heavy bourbon but balances the sharper spices with soft vanilla and dark chocolate.
Taste 2
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of old lawn furniture next to floral honey, burnt orange, black tea, and cherry bark with a moment of cream soda. The taste opens with sweet and creamy honey next to cherry pie, vanilla malted shake, sour mulled wine with plenty of dark wintry spices, and a touch of oatmeal cookie. The end has a dark chocolate-covered espresso bean feel next to more vanilla malt, dark cherry tobacco, and an old braid of cedar bark, sweetgrass, and wicker on the finish.
This feels classic to its core. It hits every bourbon note clearly and boldly.
Taste 3
Tasting Notes:
Cinnamon, butter brown sugar, walnut, and raisins meld on the nose with some vanilla to create a moist oatmeal cookie next to buckwheat pancakes griddled in brown butter and topped with apple butter, and maybe some apricot jam with a dash of nutmeg, dark chocolate shavings, and creamy vanilla whipped cream. The palate leans into cherry hand pies and vanilla wafers with a counter of dried wild sage, orchard tree bark, and meaty dates. The end has a sharp turn into dried red chili pepper cut with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate bars, cedar bark, burnt orange, and lime leaves with this whisper of cinnamon cookies at the very end.
This is incredible. It’s classic but the goes in so many different directions while still feeling like something nostalgic. What a great pour.
Taste 4
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a lush and creamy grit vibe with spicy cinnamon and clove next to pecans, maple syrup, singed cherry bark, and old lawn furniture with dead leaves strewn about. The taste hits on a buttery toffee vibe with a dark and old leatheriness next to dark chocolate tobacco, dried ancho chili peppers, and more of that sharp woody cinnamon with a whisper of salted black licorice lurking in the background. The end has a sense of salted caramel and cinnamon candy next to malted vanilla ice cream, huckleberry pie, and dark cherry tobacco rolled into an old leather pouch.
This was classic again but, again, went further down the rabbit hole of flavors. This is also where I realized thank ranking this would be damn near impossible.
Taste 5
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of old leather gloves next to brandy-soaked cherries covered in dark chocolate, creamy honey, and eggnog spices with a hint of sour mulled wine next to pecan waffles, brown butter, and maple syrup. The palate has a big cherry moment that fades into fresh pears and winter spices — cinnamon, allspice, star anise, black licorice — before hitting a soft woody wicker note with a hint of wild sage. The end lets the cherry and pear shine as old musty cellar beams and old red bricks with a hint of pear tobacco rolled with cedar bark.
Well, that’s delicious.
Taste 6
Tasting Notes:
Stewed cherries, figgy pudding, apple butter, cinnamon waffles, woody maple syrup, and dark chocolate with a pinch of salt all dance on the nose. The palate leans into Cherry Coke with a spice vibe, burnt orange peels, cloves, creamy eggnog, sour mulled wine, and a hint of apple fritter dusted with cinnamon sugar. The end has a singed cherry bark sensation that leads to dry winter spices — star anise, allspice, clove, cinnamon, and pine — next to dates and prunes layered into pipe tobacco with a twinge of dark chocolate and cedar.
This is another fantastic whiskey.
Taste 7
Tasting Notes:
This feels very classic on the nose with cherry pie filling, sourdough doughnuts, mulled wine, and dried cranberry leading to lush vanilla and woody spice. The palate opens with the vanilla silkiness next to burnt orange, salted caramel, and more cranberry with a hint of cinnamon and walnut malted ice cream. The end has a wet brown sugar and vanilla vibe that leads to wintry spices layered with dark cherry and tobacco in an old cedar box on the finish.
This was classic from top to bottom. And that’s all there is to it.
Taste 8
Tasting Notes:
Sour cherries, maple syrup, and pecan waffles mingle with dried apple chips, old leather boots, and winter spice with a hint of vanilla wafers on the nose. The taste leans toward spicy apple pie filling with walnuts, plenty of cinnamon, and some raisins before malted vanilla milkshakes, blueberry cotton candy, and dark chocolate milk arrive on the mid-palate and lead toward a moist oatmeal cookie dipped in salted caramel. The end has a dry woody spiciness with star anise, cinnamon, and allspice mingling with marzipan and cherry/cinnamon tobacco.
This was pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Taste 9
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with soft vanilla waffles next to dark cherries, caramel sauce, pear skins, eggnog nutmeg, and a counterpoint of cumin and chili pepper with a hint of old leather. The palate has a buttery and sweet cornbread vibe with toffee candies, vanilla-cherry soda, and soft glove leather. The end has a gingerbread spiciness with a touch of vanilla frosting, pear candy, and cinnamon tobacco dipped in honey.
This was really nice but felt a little one-note overall.
Taste 10
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens slightly tannic with rich orange zest and vanilla cream next to woody winter spice, fresh mint, and wet cedar with a hint of gingerbread and burnt cherry. The palate hits on soft vanilla white cake with a salted caramel drizzle and burnt orange zest vibe next to apple/pear tobacco leaves dipped in toffee and almond. The end has a sour cherry sensation that leads to wintery woody spices, cedar bark, and old cellar beams with a lush vanilla pod and cherry stem finish.
It’s great. Okay, I’m going to try and rank these now.
Part 2: The Ranking
10. Redwood Empire Grizzly Beast Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Batch no. 002 — Taste 7
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $79
The Whiskey:
The latest batch of Redwood Empire’s Grizzly Beast is a four-grain bourbon. The California juice was made with 69% corn 22% rye, 5% malted barley, and a mere 4% wheat. After five years of maturation, 26 barrels were picked for this batch. Those barrels were vatted and the whiskey was just kissed with pure water from a local Russian River Valley aquifer.
Bottom Line:
This was really nice and very classic. And that’s about it.
The only reason it’s tenth is that it was just classic. That said, this is very good bourbon with a nice flavor profile. Solid B+!
9. Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 9
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $17
The Whiskey:
The whiskey is standard Evan Williams that’s blended from bonded barrels. The batched whiskey is brought down to 100 proof, allowing a bit more of that Heaven Hill craft to shine in the bottle compared to a standard Black Label Evan Williams bottle.
Bottom Line:
This was also perfectly good. There was a little one-note, classic vibe again. But overall, this is a perfectly good bottle of bourbon.
8. Filibuster Bottled-In-Bond Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 5 Years — Taste 2
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $90
The Whiskey:
This Virginias whiskey is a grain-to-glass experience. The juice is made from locally-grown grains — 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley — and local spring water in the Shenandoah Valley. After five years of mellowing in Appalachia, a small bundle of barrels is batched and proofed to 100 proof before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This is where things go from “Solid B+” to “A” when it comes to the texture and flavor profile. This is a really good whiskey that could be ranked much higher any other day.
7. George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whisky Fall 2008 Aged 13 Years — Taste 8
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $43
The Whisky:
Nicole Austin has been killing it with these bottled-in-bond releases from George Dickel. This release is a whiskey that was warehoused in the fall of 2008. 13 years later, this juice was bottled at 100 proof (as per the bottled-in-bond law) and left to rest. This fall, new releases of that Tennessee juice were sent out to much acclaim.
Bottom Line:
This was delicious. The only reason it’s a little lower today is that the Tennessee graininess just sneaked through when tasted against the other bourbons. It wasn’t an off-note by any stretch. It was just something I used to differentiate these whiskeys.
6. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bottled in Bond — Taste 10
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $75
The Whiskey:
This very affordable offering from Heaven Hill is hard to beat. The juice utilizes a touch of rye in the mash bill and is then aged for ten long years in a bonded rickhouse. The best barrels are chosen by hand and the juice is bottled with just a touch of water to bring it down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Bottom Line:
This was just a great whiskey all around. It was nuanced and balanced and offered a great albeit classic bourbon vibe.
5. Kirkland Signature Bottled-In-Bond by Barton 1792 Master Distillers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 5
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $24 (1-liter bottle)
The Whiskey:
This whiskey was sourced for Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand from the famed Barton 1792 warehouses by Sazerac. The juice is made from a base of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% barley. The barrels were aged for at least four years per “bottled in bond” regulations before they were blended and proofed down for this special release.
Bottom Line:
This was a great pour of whiskey. It was deep and complex with a light sense of classic bourbon.
4. Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 4
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $129
The Whiskey:
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.
Bottom Line:
This is where things get into “A+” territory. This bourbon is perfect. It’s classic but then it takes you somewhere new and fresh. It’s not as deep as the next entries but it also doesn’t need to be.
3. New Riff Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond Aged 6 Years — Taste 1
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $59
The Whiskey:
New Riffs brand-new malted bourbon just hit shelves. The juice is made from yeast and malts that usually make pale ales and bitters in the beer world. The mash bill is 65% corn, 20% malted rye, and 15% T50 Crystal Malt, which is the aforementioned pale ale malt. The whiskey is left to rest for six years before the barrels and batched and the bourbon is just kissed with local water for proofing.
Bottom Line:
This was a stellar pour of whiskey, bottled in bond or not. The depth and nuance were lovely while the overall aura of this one was luxurious and fresh.
2. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Bottled-In-Bond Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $60
The Whiskey:
This new release from Huber Farm’s Starlight Distillery (the distillery to know if you’re in the know) is made from their high-corn mash with a sweet mash method (each batch is fresh) in their old copper pot still. The whiskey is barreled in Canton barrels and left to age on the farm for four years before it’s batched (only 20 barrels) and proofed down to 100 proof for bottling.
Bottom Line:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is a nearly perfect whiskey.
1. Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled In Bond Vintage Series Fall 2018 Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 3
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $53
The Whisky:
The latest seasonal drop from Tennessee’s Chattanooga Whiskey is another great. The juice is a blend of four of their mash bills. 30% comes from mash bill SB091, which is a mix of yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malted barley, and honey malted barley. Another 30% comes from mash bill B002, which has yellow corn, hardwood smoked malted barley (smoked with beech, mesquite, apple, or cherry), caramel malted barley, caramel malted, and honey malted barley. The next 20% is mash bill B005, which is yellow corn, malted wheat, oak smoked malted wheat, and caramel malted wheat. And the last 20% is from mash bill R18098, which is yellow corn, pale malted barley, naked malted oats, double roasted caramel malted barley, peated malted barley, cherrywood smoked malted barley, chocolate malt, and de-husked chocolate malt.
Bottom Line:
This is the most complex and interesting whiskey on the list. It’s also delectable and so easy to drink while still offering a deep and rewarding experience that takes you somewhere. A definite favorite, moving forward and a lock for one of my favorites of 2022.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
This whole tasting was basically weighted from “great to amazing” from the outset. Generally, I’d break down sections of the ranking for you to ignore or focus on. This time, I have to say that all of these whiskeys are worth at least trying. There’s not a bad bourbon in the bunch. Gun to my head, buy the Chattanooga. It’s the most interesting and fun by far. It’s also so deeply built that you’ll be going back for more again and again.
As for the Costco Bottled-In-Bond? Well, it’s great. It’s also an amazing value at only $24 for a one-liter bottle. That’s crazy good. Moreover, that bottle 100% held its own against some of the most award-winning bourbons on the shelf today. That said, it wasn’t mind-blowing. But it didn’t need to be. Go to Costco right now and buy one.
Hell, buy a case for that price.
