Today is the 119th anniversary of the passage of the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. This is a pretty important act. And not just in the world of whiskey. It was one of the first consumer protection and food safety laws. And because you needed to follow pretty strict rules to be label as bottled in bond (the product of one distillation season, aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years, bottled at 100 proof and you need to list the DSP of the distiller and, if different, the bottler) many people began to identify it with a mark of quality.
The push to get the act passed gets credited to Colonel E. H. Taylor. He of the distillery formerly known as old Taylor and the distillery now known as Buffalo Trace fame. He gets touted as an all-around good guy by bourbon lovers, but recently a fellow blogger brought to light a few of his less admirable qualities.
As important as the act is, when I wanted to read it, I had a hard time tracking it down. Because it is 119 years old, it has been buried in the mists of time. I've posted a pdf of a scan of the act in the past, but today I am offering the poster above, including the full text of the act, as a print resolution pdf download to my patrons. The file is sized at 24" x 36" and is suitable to print at your local print shop. Someday I may find a place to sell it, but for now this is a patron exclusive.*
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*Did you support the site via one-time donation? Just send me an email if you want the pdf and I will send you a link to download it.
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