Bourbon
Bourbon is the unquestioned king of American whiskey, its production dating back to the 1700s. While bourbon is invariably associated with Kentucky, where 95 percent of all bourbon is produced today, in reality it can be produced anywhere in the U.S. (though only Kentucky Bourbon can include the name of the state on the label). By U.S. law, bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn; be aged in new, charred oak containers; distilled to no more than 160 proof, entered into barrel at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. Contrary to popular opinion, there’s no minimum aging requirement for bourbon, although straight bourbon must be aged for at least two years and cannot have added coloring. One of the most popular spirits in today’s drinking world, bourbon prices have been on the rise as stocks have dwindled — although massive investments in the industry promise to ease those supply pressures in coming years.
Top Bourbon Posts:
Tips, Tricks, and Advice on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Top 10 Bourbons Under $20
Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project
Barrell Bourbon ended 2021 with Batch 31 of its flagship bourbon and kicked the new year off with Batch 32. Each release is a blend of sourced stocks from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, which has become a consistent theme in recent years (with the exception of Batch 30). Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll…
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Producer Jim Beam has introduced a range of new Basil Hayden products in recent years, including creative approaches to bourbon and rye, and now it is offering something completely different by creating a bourbon with a distinctly smoky character. Unusually, it isn’t made with peat. They explain the unique process for creating a very subtle…
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This whiskey was pitched to me as a collaboration with “a highly acclaimed band,” in bold, to which I said sure, send me some. Well, I have never heard of Whiskey Myers, but I can appreciate this whiskey — a sourced two year old Kentucky Bourbon made with a high-rye mash bill (70% corn, 21%…
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Yes, that Elvis. Charleston, South Carolina-based Grain & Barrel Spirits is producing this Elvis Presley inspired duo of whiskeys, joining numerous other brands in the G&B lineup, including Chicken Cock Whiskey, Dixie Vodka, and Virgil Kaine Lowcountry Whiskey. The two expressions of Elvis are sourced from two different distilleries in different states — neither in…
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Walker’s Cay — complete with a marlin on the label — sure does sound like a rum. Surprise: It’s bourbon, made in Kentucky, finished with sherry cask staves, and bottled by King Spirits in Owensboro, KY. The owner of King Spirits is Steven Busch, the son of August Busch III, and clearly more of a…
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Starlight Distillery in Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, is one of the more unique craft distilleries I’ve encountered. It’s the latest innovation to emerge from Huber’s Orchard, Winery, and Vineyards, a 600-acre farm now in its 7th generation. If you looked up “agritourism” in the dictionary (remember those?), I imagine there’s a…
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Now for the moment some of us have been waiting for since first signs of re-awakening appeared at the abandoned Taylor distillery off McCracken Pike. After several years of patience, time, and change, the inaugural batches of Castle & Key’s bourbon have been delivered. The first round of Restoration Rye went live in early 2021,…
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We’ve already covered a handful of products from Oregon-based Ransom Spirits, including their Old Tom Gin, which put them on the craft distilling map over a decade ago. The whimsically named Whippersnapper was the distillery’s first foray into whiskey, but recently they added to the brown spirits portfolio with this bottle, Ransom Bourbon. The mashbill…
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“Perfectly suited for the bourbon connoisseur with a sophisticated palate,” this latest Garrison Bros. release comes finished in (Portuguese) Port wine casks. Per the distillery: Bottled at 107 proof, Guadalupe is a port cask-finished bourbon named for one of Texas’ most beautiful rivers. Master Distiller Donnis Todd connected and worked directly with winemakers in Portugal to secure…
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Round three of Old Forester’s 117 Series, which is cooked up by OldFo Master Taster Jackie Zykan, has arrived. The 1910 Extra Old bottling is a spin on Old Forester’s highly likable 1910 Old Fine Whisky release. It’s “Extra Old” because it spends an additional 18 months in the heavy-char barrel in which 1910 is…
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