Early Times Bottled In Bond - Review
Early Times: An Enduring Kentucky Whisky
Founded in 1860 at Early Times Station, Kentucky, Early Times built its reputation on “old-style” methods and limestone-filtered water, rising to national prominence during Prohibition when its owners held a federal license to sell medicinal spirits. Brown‑Forman purchased the brand and remaining stocks in 1923, making Early Times its first acquisition and a cornerstone of its post‑Prohibition portfolio as production restarted in Louisville at the former Old Kentucky Distillery, renamed the Early Times Distillery. By the 1950s, Early Times had become the best‑selling bourbon in the United States, and later achieved global reach across 40+ countries, including a leading position in Japan in the 2000s. Over time, Early Times’ core U.S. expression shifted away from bourbon labeling due to aging practices that included used barrels, which fall outside bourbon’s legal requirements, though the brand continued to market as bourbon in some export markets.[1][2][3][4][5]
In June 2020, Brown‑Forman agreed to sell Early Times, along with Canadian Mist and Collingwood, to Sazerac, parent of Buffalo Trace and Barton 1792, as part of a strategic focus on premium brands; the transaction closed August 3, 2020. Sazerac signaled investment in the brand’s growth, and later highlighted the brand’s Bardstown roots by returning distillation there after more than a century, underlining a heritage-forward revival.[6][7][8][4][5]
Early Times Bottled-in-Bond
A milestone for the label, Early Times Bottled‑in‑Bond (BiB) revives the brand’s classic bourbon identity under the strict 1897 Act: one distilling season, one distillery, at least 4 years of aging under government supervision, and bottled at 100 proof. First introduced by Brown‑Forman in 2017 as a Kentucky Straight Bourbon, the BiB release offered an exceptional value in a 1L format and quickly earned a reputation for approachable, fruit‑forward character with vanilla and toasted sweetness layered over classic corn‑rich structure. Retailers and reviewers commonly note its budget‑friendly positioning—often in the $20–$25 range for 1L—without compromising on bottled‑in‑bond rigor.[9][4][10][11][12]
Following Sazerac’s acquisition in 2020, Early Times BiB branding and specs have remained recognizably consistent, with label updates reflecting production sites and a transition of bottling identifiers; industry reporting has indicated continuity of mashbill and yeast while in‑house stocks come of age under Sazerac stewardship, aligning the BiB with the brand’s heritage profile during the handover period. As Sazerac reanchors Early Times’ production narrative in Kentucky, the Bottled‑in‑Bond expression stands as the brand’s clearest statement of traditional bourbon craft, reaffirming Early Times’ place in America’s whisky history while charting its next chapter under new ownership.[13][4][6]
Review:
Nose: This a very young smelling nose with some ripe red fruits, licorice, sweetened dried pineapple pieces that you get in trail mix, and some alcohol. In it’s youth, you still get the wisps of oak and vanilla but it is pretty far buried underneath the more pungent fruit characteristics. There isn’t much else here so let’s jump to the palate.
Palate: Very light on the palate and the floral fruitiness carries through to the sip. On the first sip you get almost a savory oak flavor that almost immediately dissipates into an raspberries, and vanilla bean. I almost get a little it of caramel in there but not too much. It is very sweet and for it actually sips beneath it’s proof which is pretty impressive. I had the opportunity to try the brown-forman recipe pre-2020 and this is much more fruity, where the pre-2020 variant held a much strong classic bourbon profile.
Finish: The finish is incredibly short here. A bit of peppery rye spice kicks in on the back end and just slowly fizzles into what initially appeared on the palate.
Overall: (70). This bourbon is a nice, light, fruity entry level bourbon that is inoffensive in almost every way. There isnt much that stands out about it, but it offers a pleasant sip and packs enough punch to carry its' weight in a cocktail (which is what I would recommend you use it for). THis is my go to for paper plane’s when I have people over and it is usually a crowd favorite each time I make it.
Value: 80/100; (+5 on the overall). I paid $26.99 for this. Uhh, lets go? This is a really great price for a decent bourbon that is atleast 4 years old, and 100 proof. Oh, and the fact that it is 1 liter? Even better! It essentially makes a 750 ml bottle equivalent for about $20 which is hard to come by for remotely okay quality. I recommend this frequently to those asking for something on the shelf that wont break the bank but is great for cocktails. This is your guy.
Availability: Available. This used to be limitd for some reason? I never udnerstood why people would just clear a store out of these, but that is what happened for a while there. Now the amusement has settled down and you should be able to find this easily at a store nearby.
Citations:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Times
3. https://bourbonveach.com/2020/06/22/brand-history-early-times-bourbon/
5. https://www.brown-forman.com/article/brown-forman-sell-early-times-canadian-mist-collingwood
9. https://rickhouseramblings.com/2024/06/04/review-early-times-bottled-in-bond/
10. https://www.ohlq.com/liquor/whiskey/american/blend/early-times-bottled-in-bond
11. https://thewhiskystudy.com/reviews-1/early-times-bottled-in-bond-review
12. https://www.breakingbourbon.com/review/early-times-bottled-in-bond-bourbon-2022
13. https://thewhiskeyramble.com/2024/09/19/early-times-bottled-in-bond-2024-scoresheet-review/
