In honor of the 125^th passing of the Bottled in Bond Act today, Buffalo Trace Distillery raises a glass to salute E. H. Taylor, Jr. with a commemorative single barrel release hand selected by Grammy Award Winner Chris Stapleton.

The Bottled in Bond Act, which was passed on March 3,1897, guaranteed the integrity of the whiskey to the American consumer, and among other things, guarantees only water can be added to the whiskey.

The joining of two stalwarts of Kentucky, E. H. Taylor, Jr. and Chris Stapleton, resulted in the E. H. Taylor, Jr. Bottled in Bond commemorative Chris Stapleton Single Barrel Bourbon, which is being donated to Stapleton’s charitable fund, Outlaw State of Kind. Each bottle will be autographed by Chris Stapleton and will be used to raise funds for a variety of charities across the country.

This is the second year for the partnership between E. H. Taylor, Jr. Bourbon and Chris Stapleton’s charitable fund.  Two prize packs are available for bidding now through March 17, 2022, on charitybuzz:

• One bottle of E. H. Taylor Single Barrel with commemorative sticker noting Bottled in Bond Day and partnership with Chris Stapleton; four tickets to Stapleton’s April 23, 2022, concert in Lexington, Ky; a VIP tour and tasting for four at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Ky; and E. H. Taylor, Jr. branded merchandise.  Live auction link here.
• One bottle of E. H. Taylor Single Barrel with commemorative sticker noting Bottled in Bond Day and partnership with Chris Stapleton; plus two tickets to winner’s choice to any Stapleton concert in 2022, and E. H. Taylor, Jr. branded merchandise. Live auction link here.

The remaining bottles will be used by Stapleton’s charitable fund Outlaw State of Kind throughout the year to raise funds for various causes. Updates on fundraisers will be posted to Outlaw State of Kind.

“The first glass of E.H. Taylor, Jr. I ever had was in the studio,” Stapleton said in a news release. “Vance Powell, engineer of both music and good times, brought a bottle to the session for inspiration. That week we recorded an entire album, and that album was ‘Traveller.’

“We’ve made it a point to keep a bottle around ever since. We’re proud to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Bottled in Bond Day with this special Single Barrel bottling. All proceeds raised by these bottles will benefit Outlaw State of Kind, our charitable fund that is dedicated to giving back to the people and communities that continue to play a vital role in our journey.”

“We’ve very excited to be able to partner once again with Chris Stapleton and Outlaw State of Kind,” Sara Saunders, vice president, American whiskey, said.  “We were lucky enough to partner with Chris last year, and we are very pleased his charitable fund was able to raise so much money over the past year for so many different causes.  We’re excited to kick off this second year of partnership on the 125^th anniversary of Bottled in Bond Day, and with two great prizes going live today, we hope fans of both his music and our bourbon can help out even more needy causes.”

The E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel was distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery and put in the barrel on June 3, 2009.  Bottled in mid February, this bourbon is over 12 years of age, and like the act its namesake fought so hard to pass, is Bottled in Bond at 100 proof. 

Like the other E. H. Taylor, Jr. releases, this Single Barrel is packaged with elements of Taylor’s original bottlings from the turn of the 20^th century, a vintage label bearing his signature and a distinct canister reminiscent of Taylor’s whiskey package from over one hundred years ago. The canister gives a nod to this unique bottling with a commemorative sticker noting the 125^th anniversary of Bottled in Bond Day and the partnership with Chris Stapleton.

The E. H. Taylor, Jr. Bottled in Bond commemorative Chris Stapleton Single Barrel bottling will be available through the charitable organization Outlaw State of Kind.

Buffalo Trace Distillery is celebrating Bottled in Bond Day in various other happenings as well, including expanded offerings of its Old Taylor Tour and activations in various markets across the United States.

E. H. Taylor, Jr. was instrumental in getting the Bottled in Bond Act passed. Prior to its passing, disreputable sellers would put items like tobacco juice, turpentine, iodine or other unsavory and potentially poisonous additives to a barrel of whiskey to fill it back up, and/or to give the liquid color. 

Back in those days, whiskey was usually delivered by the barrel to a local saloon, general store or pharmacy where customers could fill up their own jug directly from the barrel, or retailers could bottle it up for resale on the spot. The Bottled in Bond Act was the first consumer protection law passed, pre-dating the Pure Food and Drug Act by nine years.

To learn more about E. H. Taylor, Jr., click here; to find out more about Outlaw State of Kind, click here.