The Best Bonded Whiskey Under $50

Old Grand-Dad is based on the high-rye bourbon recipe made famous by Basil Hayden -- it's his picture on the bottle. This is the Bottled-In-Bond version of Old Grand-Dad Bourbon, meaning it was all distilled in the same calendar year. Additionally, it was aged at least 4 years under government supervision, and it is bottled at 50% ABV. Along with Old Overholt Rye, Old Grand-Dad falls under "The Olds" whiskeys released by Jim Beam. 

That's right, folks, a Bonded version of Old Overholt. Distilled in one season, at one distillery, and bottled at 100 proof. This straight rye whiskey is aged for four years in new, charred American oak. Product launched in February 2018 with availability limited to the US.

In the second of the Old Forester Whiskey Row series, Brown-Forman has released a bourbon to commemorate the year the Bottled in Bond Act was enacted. The Act was created to literally "seal in the quality" of whiskey, which according to law must be from one distillery, from one season, made by one distiller and aged at a federally bonded warehouse for a minimum of 4 years at 100 proof.

"Bottled in Bond" used to be a code for "the good stuff." Bonded whiskey is subject to regulation and production rules above and beyond those that normally govern the production of whiskey. Aged at least four years, with a higher proof, and in strictly controlled warehouses, this bottle is a return to a classic expression of whiskey.

Made by Heaven Hill Distillery, this Henry McKenna bottling is a Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Aged 10 years, this release is also a single barrel release with each bottle bearing both the bottling date and the barrel number. Single barrel whiskeys are unique bottlings so your mileage may vary, but you'll generally be sipping a rye-drinker's bourbon. Big, bold, spicy and a great choice for an Old Fashioned--go easy on the sugar, amp up the bitters a bit and garnish with a single orange peel.

One of the heroes of the rye world, Rittenhouse is a must have in your home bar, neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail. It's a bargain for a bonded rye and always a welcome gift for beginners or those more advanced. This rye whiskey from Heaven Hill is bottled at 50% ABV.