Recently a local group of us hosted a blind tasting with a $25 and under price limit. My submission for that tasting was the bottle I am reviewing here today, Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond. Prior to purchasing the bottle for that blind tasting I had never had it before but my curiosity had been piqued due to a review by Sipp'n Corn and also news from Sku that Very Old Barton was keeping the number 6 on the label but dropping the "Aged" and "Years" verbiage. When I saw a bottle with an age statement I thought it would be a cool submission for the tasting so I grabbed it. While the competition wasn't very fierce in that tasting, overall I was pretty happy with how well it fared especially considering the price and what it lost to - Old Weller Antique 107. Now that the bottle is almost gone I thought I should get a formal review in so here we have it.
50.0% ABV; Aged 6 years; $14
Nose: Great up-front sweetness with vanilla, caramel sugar, and oak. Not overly hot. It has the intensity that you would expect from a bottle in bond offering.
Taste: More sweetness initially. Sweet corn and banana pudding complete with vanilla wafers. It's also got some grit too, though. There is some harsh barrel char towards the end, then some rye spice starts to come into play.
Finish: Short to medium finish with spicy rye initially as prominent as the sweetness and dry oak. Slightly disappointed that the finish doesn't last longer or leave a resounding sweetness.
Notes: This bottle was an eye opening experience for me in just how good a budget bourbon can be. It has lots of great sweetness, some rye bite, a respectable proof, and the price is very right. Honestly I'd love to see how this one would taste after a few more years in the wood to see if time would soften up some of the harshness a bit and add a little more depth/complexity.
Rating: B- / C+
Buy Recommendation: Yes. For $14, this one punches way above its weight class. At this price point not much can compete with this.
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