Buffalo Trace Distillery released a “Bottled in Bond Day” commemorative edition E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel marking the 124th anniversary of Congress passing the Bottled-in-Bond Act. It’s generally recognized as the first consumer protection legislation.
Prior passage of the Bottled-in-Bond Act, disreputable sellers would put items like tobacco juice, turpentine, iodine or other unsavory and potentially poisonous additives to a barrel of whiskey to fill it back up, and/or to give the liquid color. Back in those days, whiskey was usually delivered by the barrel to a local saloon, general store or pharmacy where customers could fill up their own jug directly from the barrel, or retailers could bottle it up for resale on the spot.
For the E. H. Taylor Jr. commemorative Single Barrel, the Buffalo Trace Distillery team selected one special barrel, the contents being bottled and made available through musician Chris Stapleton’s charitable fund, Outlaw State of Kind. Each bottle will be autographed by Chris Stapleton.
Initial bottles will be used to support disaster relief in Texas, which has been hard hit by a major winter storm, and Eastern Kentucky, which is experiencing devastating floods. These initial bottles are available for bidding on the online charity auction Charitybuzz and can be viewed here. The remaining bottles will be used throughout the year to raise funds for a variety of charities across the country. Updates on subsequent fundraisers will be posted to Outlaw State of Kind.
“We’ve very excited to partner with Chris Stapleton and Outlaw State of Kind,” said Joshua Steely, E.H. Taylor, Jr. brand director. “We knew Chris was a big fan of E. H. Taylor, Jr., so we thought this was a perfect way to commemorate Bottled in Bond Day, by partnering with his charitable fund so fans of both his music and our bourbon can help out needy causes across the country through the various events and auctions that will be held throughout the year.”
Like other E. H. Taylor Jr. releases, this Single Barrel is packaged with elements of Taylor’s original bottlings from the turn of the 20th century, a vintage label bearing his signature and a distinct canister reminiscent of Taylor’s whiskey package from over one hundred years ago. The canister gives a nod to this unique bottling with a commemorative sticker noting the 124th anniversary of Bottled in Bond Day and a label at the bottom explaining in more detail the significance of this bottling.
The E. H. Taylor, Jr. Bottled in Bond commemorative Single Barrel bottling will not be available at retail. It is only available through the charitable organization Outlaw State of Kind.