Very Old Barton is one of bourbon's great hidden values — a bottled-in-bond bourbon from the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, that retails for less than twenty dollars. At 100 proof, it meets the stringent bottled-in-bond requirements: the product of a single distilling season, aged at least four years, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. These guarantees of quality cost the consumer almost nothing.
The bourbon is straightforward and honest. The Barton distillate — clean, corn-sweet, with a gentle nuttiness — is presented without artifice at a strength that allows the flavour to express itself. There is no complexity, no exotic cask finishing, no marketing narrative. Just well-made Kentucky bourbon at a price that makes it one of the most accessible quality spirits in America.
Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond is the bourbon that every enthusiast recommends to friends who say they can't afford good whiskey. At eighteen dollars for a 100-proof, Kentucky-made, bottled-in-bond bourbon, it demolishes the myth that quality requires a premium price. It is not a complex or exciting bourbon, but it is a good one — honest, well-made, and priced with a generosity that the bourbon industry's premium segment has largely abandoned.
