BACKGROUND: Joseph Washington Dant began his career working as a blacksmith, but by the mid-1830s, he was a distiller who invented the process to make bourbon with hollowed out tree trunks. Let me state that once again so you can fully comprehend the concept - J.W. Dant figured out how to make bourbon from trees. How is this sumbitch not celebrated with great inventors like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and the Wright Brothers?!?!?! Dant’s distilling method, which was used by farmers and pioneers who could not afford a copper still, required a log to be split lengthwise, hollowed out, and then bound tightly back together. The log was then stood vertically and filled from the top with fermented mash. A lid with a coil, similar in shape to a Hershey’s Kiss, would be placed atop the log, but, sometimes, only a thick blanket was used to cover the top. Small pipes that had been driven through the log would then have steam fed through them, which would begin the distillation process with the tree trunk replacing the boiler, or pot. Known at the time as the only log distiller whose product was worthy of purchase, Dant grew and used his own grains, and, by 1860, his bourbon operation encompassed almost 200 acres. He retired in the 1880s and passed away in 1902 at age 82. Dant left behind two sons who became distillers, one of whom invented the Yellowstone brand, and production of J.W. Dant bourbon continued until Prohibition forced it to cease. Following passage of the 21st Amendment, the rights to the J.W. Dant trademark passed through several distilleries before being finally acquired in 1993 by Heaven Hill, which holds them today. The modern version of J.W. Dant is produced using Heaven Hill’s standard mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, and a #3 char is placed on the barrel staves for aging. Long considered a bottom shelf bourbon, it costs only $15.99 for a one liter bottle, and the brand does not even have its own website, nor is there any mention made of it on the Heaven Hill Distillery’s brand listing page. NOSE: The nose offers a mix of banana scent, which is more commonly associated with Brown Forman products, the corn dust aroma that you often get when opening a new bag of wild bird seed, and caramel. A strong smell of barrel - not a general oak note like most bourbons but deeply burned barrel char - is present, and a bit of ethanol sting invades the nose even with an open mouth. PALATE: The palate begins with a strong burst of nicely sweet caramel, and it is quickly followed by distinct corn notes along with a delightful flavor that tastes exactly like I.B.C. root beer from a bottle. For a bottom shelf bourbon, it offers a mid-to-upper shelf palate. FINISH: Initial oak on the finish is soon overcome by a growing burst of intense and spicy rye mint. Some reviewers complain that the finish is drying, but mine had none of that effect. It is a long finish, but also just a tad bit hot. Dant’s rich, syrupy mouth feel that coats the jaw is something you would more often expect to find on a higher-end bourbon. FINAL ASSESSMENT: Just so all of my cards are on the table, I am a fan of Heaven Hill products, and I simply love bottled in bond bourbons. In fact, I do not think I have ever sampled a truly bad bottled in bond offering from any producer. J.W. Dant Bottled In Bond will not knock your socks off, but it is a dependable workhorse that will not let you down. Each sip was progressively better than the one that preceded it, and I could easily drink this every day and be wholly satisfied. It ain’t complex, but, darn, it is good. Early Times Bottled In Bond deservedly gets much love among aficionados as a surprisingly inexpensive yet high-quality bourbon, but I rank J.W. Dant alongside it as one of the best values on any shelf from top to bottom.