Whisky · Explainer
What does bottled in bond mean?
Bottled in bond is an American designation with legal conditions. The rule is in 27 CFR 5.88: all the spirit comes from the same distiller, from the same distilling season and from the same distillery, spends at least four years in wood and goes into the bottle at exactly 50 percent alcohol. The label names the distillery and the permit numbers.
In brief
The key figures
| Origin | American law of 3 March 1897 on bottling under customs supervision |
|---|---|
| Current rule | 27 CFR 5.88 |
| Distillery | Everything from the same distiller and the same distillery |
| Distilling season | Everything from the same distilling season |
| Ageing | At least four years in wooden casks |
| Strength | Exactly 50 percent alcohol, or 100 proof |
| Additions | Only pure water; filtering is allowed, blending in is not |
| Label | Name of the distillery plus the number of the distilling site and of the bottling location |
What does the law require of bottled in bond?
For bottled in bond, all the spirit in the bottle must come from the same distiller and the same distillery, from the same distilling season, with at least four years of maturation in wood.
The conditions are set out in 27 CFR 5.88. It also states that the spirit must remain unchanged: filtering and chill filtration are allowed; blending in other batches or adding substances is not.
Lowering the strength may only be done with pure water, and only to 50 percent alcohol. A different bottling strength is not permitted with this designation.
Why does it say 100 proof on such a bottle?
Proof is the American measure of strength, where 100 proof equals 50 percent alcohol.
Bottled in bond allows no choice of strength. The law prescribes 50 percent, so every bottle with this designation is equally strong, regardless of the distillery.
On American labels both numbers often appear side by side, as 50% alc./vol. and 100 proof.
What does the same distilling season mean?
A distilling season is a fixed period within the production year, and with bottled in bond all the spirit in the bottle must come from one and the same season.
The law of 3 March 1897 that made bottling under customs supervision possible already required that the packaging state the year and the distilling season, plus the name of the distiller, the number of the distillery and the state and district.
On modern labels the statement has been reduced to the name of the distillery and the licence numbers. The requirement of a single season has remained.
Is bottled in bond the same as straight bourbon?
No, they are two designations with their own requirements, which do not exclude each other.
According to 27 CFR 5,143, bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51 percent corn, distilled to no more than 160 proof and put into new charred oak casks at no more than 125 proof. Straight means on top of that at least two years of ageing.
Bottled in bond sets no requirements for the type of grain, but it does for distiller, distillery, season, maturation time and strength. A bottle can therefore be both straight bourbon and bottled in bond.
Does bottled in bond say anything about the flavour?
Bottled in bond is a guarantee of origin, maturation time and strength, not of taste.
The designation says that a distiller distilled in one season at one place and that the spirit lay in wood for at least four years. It says nothing about the grain recipe, the cask type or the flavour profile.
Anyone who wants to choose by taste looks at the type of grain, the maturation time and the cask. In the shop, we read out per bottle what the distiller itself states on the label.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which American bourbons are there in Bathmen?
The shop in Bathmen stocks 41 American bourbons from 27 different brands. Prices range from € 12.99 to € 299.99. The alcohol percentage ranges from 40% to 62.5%.
- Angel's Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 43.3% · 70 cl · United States
- Bowsaw Small Batch American Bourbon 40% · 70 cl · United States
- Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 40% · 70 cl · United States
- Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 45% · 100 cl · United States
- Bulleit Kentucky 10 Years Straight Bourbon Whiskey 45.6% · 70 cl · United States
- Bulleit Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 45% · 70 cl · United States
- Bulleit Rye Bourbon Whiskey 45% · 70 cl · United States
- Cadenhead Heaven Hill 12 Years old Bourbon 46% · 70 cl · United States
- Elijah Craig bourbon + glas 47% · 70 cl · United States
- Evan Williams Kentucky straight bourbon 70 cl · United States
Related questions
What does cask strength mean?What does the batch code on a whisky bottle mean?What does the finish mean when tasting whisky?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- May an imported whisky be called bottled in bond?
- Yes, provided it meets the same requirements. The country of origin must then appear directly after the designation.
- Does a bottled in bond bottle have to show an age?
- No. An age statement is mandatory in the United States for whisky younger than four years, and bottled in bond is by definition older.
- Does bottled in bond also apply to gin and vodka?
- Yes. The rule has separate provisions for gin and vodka, which must lie for four years in paraffin-lined casks.
- Does bottled in bond also exist for Scotch whisky?
- No. The designation comes from American law and does not appear in the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.
- What do the numbers on such a label mean?
- They refer to the licence of the place where it was distilled and to the place where it was bottled.
The reasoning
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.88 Bottled in bond, eCFR, U.S. Government Publishing Office (accessed 2026-09-07)
- An Act to allow the bottling of distilled spirits in bond, 3 March 1897, U.S. Government Publishing Office (accessed 2026-09-07)
- 27 CFR 5,143 Standards of identity for whisky, eCFR, U.S. Government Publishing Office (accessed 2026-09-07)
- 27 CFR 5.74 Age statements, eCFR, U.S. Government Publishing Office (accessed 2026-09-07)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine & spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 8 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.