We’re continuing on in our exploration of 1792’s bourbon with 1792 Bottled In Bond. Distilled in one season, this bourbon is bottled at 50% A.B.V. and has spent a minimum of four years in a government bonded warehouse. Age aside, the biggest step up from their Small Batch is the additional 6ish proof points. So is it worth hunting down for that slight extra?
1792 Bottled In Bond
Sight: Deep Copper
Smell: Caramel notes come through at the start but lean more into jammy raspberries and candied orange with plenty of spice. There’s a heat that gives way to spicy charred oak, cigar box, tobacco, and a slightly earthy green walnut note. Other touches of powder sugar remain but the nose is tight.
Sip: The bottled in bond starts of bready, with a bit of a yeasty character, and then goes full on into an unexpected melange of fruit. Everything from peaches to plums to candy apple runs through, and a honeyed sort of note kicks in for good measure. Oak and spice complement here, giving a nice background to the almost candied like character of the fruit.
Savor: The finish pulls back from the candied fruit tart character, and delivers a more balanced cigar box and char ending with just a bit of brown sugar.
1792 Bottled In Bond is completely unlike it’s nose and all of the place in the flavor profile. The bready start to the flavor profile giving way into fruit is particularly unexpected given that it doesn’t seem to have any sort of indication on the nose that it’s going to head in that direction. The flavors are on point, layered, and don’t suffer from the increase in proof. Overall, it’s an interesting expansion over the Small Batch.
Compared to 1792 Small Batch
Despite the significant increase in proof, the nose is almost tight, refusing to give up much. What it does show are slightly more leans into fruit, and a more earthy character than it’s sibling. Small Batch better captures some of the sweet and spice notes, but doesn’t deliver anywhere near the layering of fruit flavor or complexity. There’s a lot to like here in the increase that actually adds some value.
In Cocktails
In a Manhattan 1792 Bottled In Bond pulls in more of that crazy fruit forward character with a little yeasty bread characteristics. There’s a bit of appearance of banana, but then tons of plums, peaches, and honeyed orange come forward combining with the berried and vanilla notes of the vermouth. The oak and vanilla come out to play as things carry on, and the finish has a slight tropical fruit character laced with a good tinge of oak notes. As Manhattan’s go, it’s very solid, but a little muddled due to the sheer number of fruit notes.
In Review – 1792 Bottled In Bond
1792 Bottled In Bond is a bit inconsistent, but generally quite good. As a straight sipper goes, it’s got some depth, but gets a bit confused on the palate. The nose is incredibly inviting, and in a cocktail it makes a nice mix of yeasty and fruity notes to invite one in. The challenge with 1792 is that you have to go out of your way to find it. While it does a lot of great things, the challenge to find a bottle might not be worth the squeeze. The end result is a bottle that you should try if you can find it at MSRP on the shelf, but not one you need to hunt. Instead, you can purchase a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel and get amazing depth without the hunt.