Breucklen 77 Bonded Rye Whiskey Review

By Father John Rayls

Rating: B+

The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 was instituted to insure the public’s safety (and consolidate the position of big distillers vis-a-vis rectifiers, as bottlers were known then). Having the designation “bottled in bond” (BiB) on a whiskey label stood for quality, because it met the government guaranteed:

1. The whiskey must have been produced at a single distillery and within a single distilling season;
2. The whiskey must have been aged for a minimum of four years;
3. It had to have been bottled at 50% ABV (100 Proof);

This proved to be very popular and effective prior to Prohibition and it certainly changed the face of whiskey distilling in America. However, it has been rarely used in the years since, largely because the standards of a typical bottled of mass market whiskey overlap or exceed BiB requirements. Take the now defunct Knob Creek 9 Year Old Bourbon: it might not have all come from a single distilling season, but it was 100 proof, all made by Beam at one of its two neighboring distilleries, and more than double the minimum age required for BiB status.

However, BiB whiskeys have been resurgent lately, as age statements fall off whiskey labels and more craft distilleries come into maturity. Breuckelen Distilling is included in the latter list. Their 77 Bonded Rye is a terrific example of craft whiskey all grown up. It was distilled from a 100% rye mashbill, aged four years in 53 gallon, full-size new oak barrels and bottled at the mandatory 100 proof.

The Whiskey
The look in the bottle and glass is a beautiful copper with bright polished cooper and burnished gold highlights. The prolific legs are a little surprising, in that they are thin surrounding the entire glass and yet slow and reluctant to drain.

The nose is light to medium intensity and filled with oak and rye bread with a light earthiness in the background. There isn’t any alcohol burn, but a constant light tingling is omnipresent.

I took in a light creaminess in the mouthfeel, and an experience somewhat on the short side, with both a sweet and spicy presence. The flavor is filled with oak, rye spice with pepper and an earthiness underlying it all. Most of the action takes place at mid-mouth.

The finish, however, is long. It quickly moves to the back of the mouth and a little down the throat.  It transitions from pepper to white pepper bringing some heat… but not too much. It’s imbedded in a semi-sweet earthiness. It concludes in a decidedly dry manner.

The Price
The suggested retail is $65.00. Unfortunately, it isn’t being shipped out of NY State just yet, but should be in the near future.