J.W. Dant & J.T.S Brown Bottled in Bond Bourbon Reviews

J.W. Dant & J.T.S Brown
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
Heaven Hill “Value” Bottled in Bond Bourbons

I am writing about J.W. Dant & J.T.S Brown Bottled in Bond bourbons together, because frankly, I always get them confused. While the labels might lead one to believe that these bourbons are made by The Dant Distillery Company and J.T.S Brown’s Son Company (those are both the correct, albeit unusual, spellings), they are in reality made by Heaven Hill. Both are distilled at the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, KY, and both are bottled at Heaven Hill’s bottling facility in Bardstown. We know this to be true, because as these are bonded bourbons, this information must appear on the label. And indeed it does: both are distilled at DSP-KY-1 and both are bottled at DSP-KY-31.

These are both legacy brands, with rich history behind them. The men behind the brands, Joseph W. Dant & John Thompson Street Brown, Jr. and their families played important roles in the growth of Kentucky Distilling. Over time, both brands have both come to be owned by Heaven Hill. For some reason, though, neither appear on Heaven Hill’s website. The best that I can tell, they are both made from Heaven Hill’s standard bourbon mashbill, which is 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley. They are both probably aged in Heaven Hill’s standard char 3 barrels, and it seems unlikely that either is much older than the required 4 years. Both can be found in Kentucky for less than $20, and both have plastic screw tops.

Tasting Notes

Let’s taste them:

J.W. Dant Bottled in Bond Bourbon

👉🏻Nose: Apple, rye spices, burnt caramel, light oak, light alcohol
👉🏻Taste: Light molasses, light caramel, hint of peanuts, oak
👉🏻Finish: Light sweetness, hint of apple juice, oak and char. Fairly long finish with a moderate burn and lingering dryness

J.T.S Brown Bottled in Bond Bourbon

👉🏻Nose: Sweet, cherries, apples, caramel, cedar, hint of peanuts & light alcohol
👉🏻Taste: Honey, apples, caramel, oak, peanuts
👉🏻Finish: Butterscotch, oak; relatively short with a light burn

Summary

It is amazing how different J.W. Dant & J.T.S Brown Bottled in Bond bourbons are from each other when tasted together. From the nose to the finish, they are actually nothing alike. For their price, you can’t really go wrong with either, and I always have them around. They are not overly complex and probably won’t “wow” you, but they are both good. If I had to choose, though, the J.T.S Brown has flavors that I prefer, although the finish is a bit lacking.

Have you had either of these bourbons? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

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Would you like to read about another Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond Bourbon? Check our our review of the Old Fitzgerald 11 Years Aged Bottled in Bond Bourbon!