Bond and Lillard Batch No. 2

A little background

Part of a Campari project to honor historic figures who had an impact on bourbon, Bond and Lillard honors William F. Bond and Christopher C. Lillard, who partnered together in 1869 to begin making bourbon. Their bourbon was eventually awarded “The Grand Prize” at the 1904 St. Louis World’s fair, where the judges proclaimed that, “it bears no equal”. However, whether the current recreation of Bond and Lillard is in any way comparable to its historic ancestor is up for debate. Fans of Wild Turkey bourbon (Turkey Heads) will be interested to know that while Bond and Lillard was distilled at the Wild Turkey Distillery, Campari has been clear that the Russells were not involved in the development of this product.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Copper

Nose

Cream, dill, caramel, a touch of white pepper, and cinnamon spice.

Palate

Mild caramel and vanilla, accentuated by a spicy ethanol note that persists through the duration of the palate. The cinnamon returns, with some herbal savory rye notes later in the mid-palate. A solid mouthfeel is one of the best assets of this whiskey so far.

Finish

Medium finish, with savory rye spice being the dominant note. Some vanilla and a touch of oak stick in your mouth, but only briefly. They are overtaken by black pepper almost instantly, with a touch of oak and spice that lasts the duration of the finish.

In closing

I liked this whiskey more than I expected to. With that said, it is more a novel piece of whiskey history rather than a truly good bourbon. I do not regret buying it because it is a fun little bottle to keep around for whiskey history buffs, but I’m also not going to drink straight through it, and at $50 for a 375ml I am not going to replace it when it is gone.