# Quality and 'Bottled-in-Bond' Whiskeys.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-and-bottled-in-bond-whiskeys/680030>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** liquor-alcohol\
**Created:** [January 29, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-and-bottled-in-bond-whiskeys/680030 "2014-01-29T13:04:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-and-bottled-in-bond-whiskeys/680030/1 "2014-01-29T13:04:12Z")

</div>

I guess am what you could call an amateur connoisseur of liquors in general, and whiskeys specifically. And for a while now, I have been drawn to liquors that are “bottled-in-bond”. I know that means they have to pass certain criteria when they made.

Then about 10 years ago, or so, I was drinking a bottled-in-bond bourbon. It was actually rather inexpensive, which I also liked. And I at least thought it tasted pretty good. Then I held it up to the light. I could be wrong. But I could have sworn that it was unusually reddish–like it had been infused with artificial coloring or something! Is that possible?

I know “bottled-in-bond” is not an **absolute** indicator of quality. But surely it is better than other non-BIB whiskeys. Am I wrong? And, back to my experience: Could they have really added artificial red coloring to it?

:):)🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quality-and-bottled-in-bond-whiskeys/680030/2 "2014-01-29T13:08:59Z")

</div>

No artificial coloring. All BiB really means is that the whiskey has been bottled at 100 proof and has been held in a government warehouse for a period of time. It says nothing about the quality of the liquor.

_To be labeled as Bottled-in-Bond or Bonded, the liquor must be the product of one distillation season (January to December) and one distiller at one distillery. It must have been aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 (U.S.) proof (50% alcohol by volume). The bottled product’s label must identify the distillery where it was distilled and, if different, where it was bottled.[2] Only spirits produced in the United States may be designated as bonded._