Book your international travel for now if you want to snag one of these “Travelers’ Exclusive” bottles from Jack Daniels! The newest line extension of the familiar Tennessee Whiskey, a Bottled in Bond expression, will ship to major international airports and points of departure in the summer of 2018.

The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 is the first consumer protection law passed by the United States Congress. Bottles carrying the Bottled in Bond designation (typically in the form of a green tax stamp across the cork) were guaranteed to be free from artificial (and sometimes dangerous) coloring and flavoring. The Act required that the spirit be distilled by one distiller in one distilling season and stored and bottled in bonded warehouses under U.S. Government supervision for no less than four years. The Act also mandated that nothing other than water be added at bottling and that the spirit would be bottled at exactly 100 proof.

More recent laws set in place by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) ensure the storage of the barrels, the contents of the spirit, and truth of the label. However, a few Bottled in Bond spirits were consistently in the market after Prohibition. Heaven Hill Distillery led this movement with the ongoing production of brands such as their flagship Heaven Hill labels, Henry McKenna, Rittenhouse, and Mellow Corn. Other common brands include Old Grand Dad and the line of Colonel E.H. Taylor whiskeys.

Craft brands are entering the bonded category as well- Kings County Distillery, Laws Whiskey House, and Tom’s Foolery all have 4 year old, 100 proof options. In an overcrowded market of young, immature craft brands, look for “Bottled in Bond” on the label for a guarantee of age.

It’s surprising that Jack Daniels didn’t jump on this bandwagon sooner, and Summer of 2018 can’t get here soon enough.