Whiskey Row Bottled in Bond Bourbon Review (Sneak Peek)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Earlier this week, Kentucky bourbon saw a new brand emerge, and this in a time where much of the industry talk is about faltering sales and ruinous Trump tariffs. Once sometimes does not get to choose when their plans come to fruition, however, and this spring was when Avalon Spirits was ready to start their new venture: a contract-produced brand in Whiskey Row Bourbon. Named for the famous part of Main Street in Louisville where so many bourbon companies kept their offices from the mid-19th Century until Prohibition, Whiskey Row Bourbon has gotten out of the starting blocks with three expressions: their standard Triple Wood, their Cask Strength and their Bottled in Bond, covered here and now.

The whiskey in question was made under contract by Kentucky Artisan Distillery, located to the northeast of Louisville near the Peewee Valley. To clarify on the terminology, sourcing means a non-distiller producer (NDP) has bought already aged whiskey stocks from a supplier, whereas contract production means the whiskey is made to order by the client. The other steady client of Kentucky Artisan is Jefferson’s Bourbon.

The Bourbon
The pour had a red-leaning amber look in the glass, with a nose that led with molasses seasoned with cookie spices and a thick dollop of vanilla. The palate spun out from that, with its sweet side again going to molasses, but now seasoned with a dash of pepper. Behind that were traces of musty, whole leaf barn-dried tobacco and dry oak. The finish opened with that barn tobacco note, followed by wood before fading away.

The Price
At time of publication, the price of the new Whiskey Row Bottled in Bond Bourbon was not known. We will update this review when that information becomes available.