Del Bac Classic Bottled in Bond Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Although Whiskey del Bac (aka Hamilton Distillers, although they don’t seem to use that name so much anymore) has had their Arizona-style American malt whiskey on the market for almost a decade now, they only just released their first bottled in bond this year. My guess is that this was because they continued to tweak and improve it from their first unveiling. Knowing a little something about whiskey maturation in the Southwest, I’m thinking the learning curve on how to keep barrels for the four years-plus needed to do a bonded whiskey was part of it as well. Stephen Paul, co-founder of Whiskey del Bac, said that he had been wanting to do a bonded whiskey for a long time, but wanted to master their malt whiskey style before embarking on such a project.

The whiskey built on the current version of Whiskey del Bac Classic. It was laid down in 2020 by their previous Master Distiller, Veronica Townsend, in 53 gallon American Standard Barrels as part of an experiment in moving the size of their barrels upward. In keeping with the Bottled in Bond Act, the whiskey is a minimum of four years old, all comes from a single distilling season/year; and is bottled at 100 proof.

The Whiskey
My pour hit the glass bronzed. Like del Bac Classic, it’s nose evoked this meeting point of Scotch and American candy currents, with strong caramel and butterscotch in the nose. Underneath that was a hint of musty hay, like the bale that sat in the corner of the loft, dry but forgotten.

Sipping revealed a thick, but silky texture to the liquid, and flipped the script to a certain extent on the nose. That musty undertone came forward and developed into an oakier, spicier character, bringing that caramel, honey and butterscotch sweet side into balance. Further sipping brought out a modest note of nectarine. The finish ran with the woody, spicy aspect, but that faded speedily and left a sweet, damp tobacco note to linger on.

Overall, this is a solid step forward for American malts, craft whiskey in the Southwest and Whiskey del Bac. I find myself wishing not just for more of this item, but also a bonded version of their mesquite-smoked malt.

The Price
Only 500 bottles of this were made, which is quite normal for a bonded whiskey coming from a small distiller, but some are still available for $120.