Bourbon history buffs will know that the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was passed by the US government as a means of encouraging honest distilling, after poor practices had crept into American distilling (flavouring with tobacco, for example, was increasingly common). The act essentially allowed the government to vouch for a products quality, by having the product aged in federally bonded warehouses.

There were other stipulations: the whiskey must be made by one distiller at one distillery, be the product of one season, have matured for at least 4 years and be bottled at 50% (100 proof). As intended, this created a high quality product.

The tradition of Bottled in Bond whiskies continues today, as shown by this superb bottle of JD. This Tennessee whisky has gone through the same famous Lincoln County process (filtration through sugar maple charcoal) as the standard bottling, and the result is a beautiful, sweet and slightly smoky whiskey, with a greater intensity.