The Bottled-in-Bond Showdown: The Elite Eight

The field has been narrowed, and the stakes are higher. After a competitive play-in round saw Jack Daniel’s Bonded and the formidable George Dickel 13-year advance, our Elite Eight is officially set. Today, the intensity ramps up as we cut the field in half on the path to crowning a champion.

We’re splitting the bracket for two distinct, high-stakes blind tastings. In the first flight, the top-seeded Old Forester 1897 takes on the aged Dickel, while the high-malt Chattanooga faces off against the classic Early Times. In the second flight, we have a battle of titans, as Bulleit and Henry McKenna face stiff competition from two value kings: Jack Daniel’s and Evan Williams.

Will the high seeds dominate, or are we in for some upsets? There’s only one way to find out. The glasses are poured, so let’s dive in.

Blind #1: The Upper Bracket

The Matchups:
Old Forester 1897 (#1) vs. George Dickel 13-year Bottled-in-Bond (#8)
Chattanooga Bottled-in-Bond (#4) vs. Early Times Bottled-in-Bond (#5)

Glencairn #1
Color: Light copper.
Nose: Tree fruit, vanilla, and caramel.
Palate: Cinnamon bomb, with brown sugar and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Modest.
Finish: Nice cinnamon finish.
Score: 77

Glencairn #2
Color: Light copper.
Nose: Red fruit, caramel, hint of chocolate.
Palate: Bananas, cinnamon, brown sugar – bananas foster.
Mouthfeel: On the thin side.
Finish: Cinnamon and caramel finish lingers.
Score: 79

Glencairn #3
Color: Light amber.
Nose: Creamy peanut butter and caramel.
Palate: Sweet, brown sugar peanut butter and cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Silky mouthfeel leads to a lingering, cinnamon brown sugar finish.
Finish: Lingering, cinnamon brown sugar.
Score: 79

Glencairn #4
Color: Light copper.
Nose: Pears, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Palate: Cinnamon at the front, followed by brown sugar, tree fruit, and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Mid-level.
Finish: Cinnamon-heavy finish.
Score: 78

Thoughts about the blind: As with the last round, there’s not a dud in this bunch. Every one of these bonded whiskeys is delicious, so little things like slight differences in mouthfeel and finish are making the difference. #2 and #3 are slightly tastier and more complex, and that seems to push them ever-so-slightly ahead of the other two.

The Unveiling:
Glencairn #1: Chattanooga Bottled-in-Bond
Glencairn #2: Old Forester 1897
Glencairn #3: Early Times Bottled-in-Bond
Glencairn #4: George Dickel $13$ -year Bottled-in-Bond

The Results:
Old Forester 1897 (79) defeats George Dickel $13$ -year Bottled-in-Bond (78)
Early Times Bottled-in-Bond (79) defeats Chattanooga Bottled-in-Bond (77)

Old Forester 1897 and Early Times Bottled-in-Bond advance to the Final Four!

Blind #2: The Lower Bracket

The Matchups:
Bulleit Bottled-in-Bond (#2) vs. Jack Daniel’s Bonded (#7)
Henry McKenna Bottled-in-Bond (#3) vs. Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond (#6)

Glencairn #1
Color: Light copper.
Nose: Tree fruit, brown sugar, and caramel.
Palate: Tree fruit, baking spice, chocolate, and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Modest.
Finish: Brown sugar, bananas, and baking spice.
Score: 76

Glencairn #2
Color: Light copper.
Nose: Brown sugar, caramel, a bit of baking spice.
Palate: Brown sugar, baking spice, caramel, balance of oak.
Mouthfeel: Silky.
Finish: Cinnamon bomb finish.
Score: 77

Glencairn #3
Color: Solid amber.
Nose: Bananas, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar.
Palate: Brown sugar, cinnamon, bananas, and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Creamy.
Finish: Brown sugar and cinnamon, delicious finish.
Score: 80

Glencairn #4
Color: Solid amber.
Nose: A little ethanol forward, followed by caramel and vanilla.
Palate: Classic flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar, and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Silky.
Finish: Nice cinnamon finish.
Score: 76

Thoughts about the blind: The previous blind was seemingly more competitive, which is surprising since a couple of highly coveted bottles (Henry McKenna and Bulleit) are in this grouping. It would seem that those two should easily move ahead, but Jack Daniel’s and Evan Williams have produced some delicious bonded whiskeys over the years. #3 is easily the best in this group, and the other three are tightly bunched, with #2 having a slight edge with a lot of consistency across the board.

The Unveiling:
Glencairn #1: Henry McKenna Bottled-in-Bond
Glencairn #2: Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond
Glencairn #3: Jack Daniel’s Bonded
Glencairn #4: Bulleit Bottled-in-Bond

The Results:
Jack Daniel’s Bonded (80) defeats Bulleit Bottled-in-Bond (76)
Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond (77) defeats Henry McKenna Bottled-in-Bond (76)

Jack Daniel’s Bonded and Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond advance to the Final Four!

The Final Four is Set!

And just like that, we have our finalists. The top seed survived, but the rest of the bracket is pure chaos, with a play-in contender and the #5 and #6 seeds battling their way to the top. What an exciting group! Our finalists are:

Old Forester 1897 (#1 Seed)
Early Times Bottled-in-Bond (#5 Seed)
Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond (#6 Seed)
Jack Daniel’s Bonded (#7 Seed)

Next: We end this quick, bonded journey with our Final Four and Championship on Tuesday, July 22. Get ready for the finale!