// CASK STRENGTH DAILY
How to Read a Label
Every one of these is a federally regulated disclosure, not marketing copy. Click a numbered marker on the label, or a row below, to see the two highlight together.
A label tells you what a bottle legally is; it doesn't tell you whether it's good. Terms like "single barrel" or "bottled in bond" are binding disclosures, not quality claims; several of the callouts below link to a common myth about exactly that distinction.
Real, currently-approved label: Oppidan Single Barrel Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Oppidan Spirits, Windy City Distilling, Inc. (Wheeling, IL)) , TTB COLA 22047001000299, public record →
- 1
"Single Barrel"
This whiskey comes from one individual barrel, not blended with others. The barrel number is typically hand-written after bottling; see the blank box on the left.
- 2
Class/Type Designation
The legal class/type designation. "Straight" means aged at least 2 years in new charred oak with no additives; "Bourbon" means at least 51% corn. This phrase is doing real regulatory work, not just branding.
Common myth: Is "straight bourbon" a mark of higher quality than plain bourbon?
- 3
No Age Statement; and None Required
There's no age statement on this label, and none is required. Bottled in Bond already guarantees at least 4 years of aging by law, so the age-statement rule that applies to a plain straight whiskey under 4 years old doesn't come into play here.
Common myth: Does no age statement mean a bourbon is young?
- 4
Proof / ABV
Bottled at exactly 50.0% ABV; 100 proof. That's not a stylistic choice: Bottled in Bond requires exactly 100 proof, no more, no less.
- 5
"Bottled in Bond" Claim
A federal designation, not a marketing term: single distiller, single distillation season, aged 4+ years in a federally bonded warehouse, bottled at exactly 100 proof.
Common myth: Does bottled-in-bond mean the same thing as barrel proof?
- 6
Barrel Number
Single barrel releases are bottled from one specific cask, so each bottle's barrel (and often bottle) number is usually filled in by hand after the label is printed and federally approved; which is why this box is blank on the approved artwork.
- 7
Distiller / Bottler Info
The distillery and location legally responsible for this product. Federal law requires the responsible party's name and address on every label.
- 8
Government Health Warning
Required verbatim on every alcohol container sold in the U.S. since 1989; the exact wording is set by federal law, not the producer.