Early Times is a Brown-Forman brand that really leans in on the patriotism and early American distilling angle. It was also cheap, bottled in bond and generating some hype online so I picked up a bottle alongside the Dickel BiB last week. So we’re going to keep the affordable Bottled in Bond drinkers reviews rolling!
Early Time Bottled in Bond
Age: 4 years (back label and BiB)
Abv: 100 proof
Color: Amber
Price: $22 for a liter
Neat
Nose: Vanilla, caramel and light ethanol.
Taste: More vanilla with supporting caramel and grain notes and a bit of oak and spice. Average mouthfeel for 100 proof.
Finish: Short and hot with mostly cinnamon spice and some caramel trying to balance it.
Conclusion
This whiskey was fine, the proof and mouthfeel were nice, the classic caramel and vanilla notes are always enjoyable and while the nose and finish were a little harsh for me. It really didn’t stand out at all and I don’t see myself every reaching for the bottle over other things. I definitely preferred the Dickel to this, even considering the price.
All that said, if you’re looking for decent, cheap drinker with some classic notes and extra kick this will do. It’s about the same price as Evan Williams Bottled in Bond and a little better in my opinion but when I wanted ~100 proof on a budget I’d spring the couple extra buck for Wild Turkey 101.
TL;DR: Nothing special, good price. I prefer it to EW BiB. Benchmark BiB is better though.
0 Stars - Poor to Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this
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