Redemption Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon Pulls Two Standards in Opposite Directions

Redemption Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon pulls two whiskey designations in opposite directions and asks both to hold. Single barrel means every bottle reflects the character of one specific barrel, unblended. Bottled-in-bond means every bottle meets one fixed federal standard, no exceptions. Redemption’s first entry into bottled-in-bond territory is built to satisfy both at once, and it’s the opening release in the brand’s relaunched Higher Marques Collection.

What Bottled-in-Bond Actually Requires

The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 sets terms that don’t bend: the whiskey must come from a single distilling season, from one distiller at one distillery, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. Redemption’s release clears that bar with room to spare, aging a minimum of six years — two years past the requirement — while still meeting every other term of the standard.

The bourbon was distilled during an individual season at MGP’s Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, on a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley, then non-chill filtered and bottled by Redemption Barrel Selections in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon: Meeting a Standard You Can’t Bend

Master Blender Alan Kennedy selected each barrel individually for character, structure, and balance, with every bottle carrying its own barrel number, distilling season, mash bill, and age statement. “Single barrel whiskey is about embracing what can’t be replicated,” Kennedy said. “No two barrels mature exactly alike, and that’s what makes this work so rewarding.”

That barrel-to-barrel variation shows up on the palate: vanilla, worn leather, and bright raspberry on the nose give way to toasted oak, crème brûlée, sweet corn, and warm baking spices, finishing long on deep caramel, oak, and spice. It’s a profile built to reward exactly the kind of single-barrel attention Kennedy is describing.

The Higher Marques Collection’s Next Chapter

Redemption Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon reaches shelves nationally in September, timed to National Bourbon Heritage Month, at $49.99 for a 750mL bottle — and unlike a typical limited drop, it’s structured as an ongoing part of the collection rather than a one-time release. It arrives alongside the return of Redemption’s 18-Year-Old Bourbon, back in limited quantities this fall after winning Best Overall Whiskey at the 2025 Rolling Stone Spirit Awards.

Taken together, the two releases make a real case for where Redemption is headed next: not abandoning the bold, rye-forward identity that built the brand, but proving it can hold up against whiskey’s strictest formal standards too.

A $49.99 bottle that satisfies both single barrel and bottled-in-bond at once is a genuinely rare thing to find on a shelf — and if the Higher Marques Collection keeps this level of ambition going, it’s worth watching what Redemption commits to next.

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