Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond
I’ve been going a bit bonkers over the Barton Distillery recently, as evidenced by the fact that this is my third review of a Barton bourbon in under a month. Sometimes I purposefully plan out multiple reviews of the same distillery in a short time frame in order to compare and contrast, but in this case these Barton reviews have been quite impromptu.
It started with an impulsive purchase of a 1792 Full Proof store pick a little over a month ago. I was so blown away by that bourbon, I decided to pick up a bottle of 1792 Small Batch, which I hadn’t had in a few years. It also impressed (especially for the price). So I decided I really ought to revisit an old standard of mine from Barton—Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond.
Back in my early days of drinking bourbon, when spending more than $25 on a bottle was a rare luxury, Very Old Barton was a bottle I turned to often. This was especially true when I spent a little too much on beer (which was my first love at the time) and had little cash left for whiskey. The Very Old Barton line is eminently affordable, with 80, 86, 90, and 100 proof expressions all found for under $15 even today, so it was a regular purchase for me when I didn’t want to spend too much on whiskey. Back then I was very much a whiskey novice and knew little about the differences between all the bourbon expressions and brands, but I knew that Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond was quite enjoyable for the price, and that’s all that mattered.
Just like with my recent review of Grand Old Parr Blended Scotch, buying and tasting Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond (which you may see abbreviated as VOB BiB) has been a nostalgic trip to my personal past. But unlike Parr—which is fine, but not something I’m likely to reach for often—I’m still rather moved by Barton. I find myself reaching for it frequently; I doubt I’ll go several years between bottles of it again.
Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond Review
Type: Bourbon
Region: Kentucky
Age: NAS (at least 4 years)
ABV: 50%
Nose
Sweet and spicy. Brown Sugar. Fruity. Rose pedals. Vanilla ice cream topped with gooey caramel.
Palate
Laden with liquid caramel, almost like a caramel milkshake. Burnt brown sugar. Marbled rye bread. Dark chocolate. A touch of rose pedal. Overripe bananas. Cherry lollipops. Grassy. A bit musty. Leather develops on the backend.
Finish
Fairly long. Spicy caramel. Fruity, grassy, and with a bit of leather.
Overall
How the hell is this only $15? It’s so damn good, regardless of the price. If this Very Old Barton BiB was twice the price, I’d still think it was a bargain. Absolutely the best bargain whiskey that I know of. Dark, rich, and wonderfully enjoyable, it’s just delicious.
How does it compare to Barton’s 1792 line? Well, you can see the same DNA at work here, particularly with the grassy rye notes, but VOB BiB is darker, more caramel-forward, and perhaps a bit sweeter, while the 1792 Small Batch is fresher and more vibrant. I like both bourbons quite a bit, and they’re both great values. You really can’t go wrong with either.
SCORE: 7/10
Final Thoughts
I think I’m falling in love with the Barton Distillery. They make fantastic bourbon and sell it for bargain prices. Honestly, they might be my favorite American distillery right now. OK, Four Roses is probably still my personal favorite, but I’ve seriously been enjoying Barton just as much recently.
Back in the days when I was buying VOB BiB regularly, it still had a 6-year age statement. For a while, they still kept the “6” on the label without saying “years”, which was some shady dishonest crap marketing that many people didn’t appreciate (myself included). The 6 is gone from the label now though, thankfully. Yes it’s NAS now (at least 4 years old, since it’s bottled in bond), but I’m enjoying it just as much today as I did when I first started drinking this bourbon many years ago. Maybe even more. That’s not to say that it is better today… I’d need to do a side by side with the old stuff to make that determination. But damn, this is a really tasty dram.
It’s easy to assume that cheaply priced bourbon is inferior—I imagine a lot of us whiskey fans make that assumption from time to time. But while sometimes you do get what you pay for, other times you actually get a lot more.
Buying Advice: Very Old Barton BiB costs about $15 retail. At that price, you’re crazy not to try it. In my opinion, it’s easily the best bargain whiskey on the planet. I’ve already bought another bottle and plan to stock it at home regularly.
Drink This Not That: Drink this, assuming you can find it (it’s not available in all markets, unfortunately). Also try Barton’s 1792 Small Batch. The 1792 is a bit more expensive ($30), but still a bargain. The 1792 is fresher and more vibrant, while the VOB is darker and perhaps richer. They’re both great and affordable bottles.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.
