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
Still Austin iterates again this year with a new bourbon, made with red corn and bottled in bond. It’s the first in a line of four bonded whiskeys that will roll out over the next year, this one made with a mashbill of 36% Jimmy Red corn, 34% white corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted…
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Ben Holladay Distillery is keen on putting Missouri on the map among bourbon fans. Their Bottled-in-Bond Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey launched those efforts via their own distillate, which was then aged and bottled in Weston (population under 2,000). Now, they’re on the market with their second expression: Another bottled-in-bond bourbon, this time with soft red…
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While Woodford Reserve’s Batch Proof has been an annual release since 2018, we’ve reviewed it only once, in 2020. The whiskey isn’t designed to change dramatically from year to year, however. It’s a mingling of standard Woodford Reserve barrels all pulled into a single batch, then bottled at barrel — or, in this case —…
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Golf+whiskey mania continues this month with the arrival of a special release of Elijah Craig, designed to pay homage to the 2023 Ryder Cup. This isn’t just another spin on Elijah Craig Barrel Proof but rather quite a unique product, starting with fully-matured Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon that is then finished in, and I…
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Though they’ve released a range of American whiskeys over the last few years — Lost Lantern’s Spring 2023 releases featured a variety of single malt and bourbon whiskeys — the independent bottler is focusing on bourbon for Summer 2023. As such, this season’s Blend Series, Single Distillery Series, and Single Cask Series all feature cask-strength…
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It’s back! In 2021, Wild Turkey dropped an amazing 13 year old limited edition expression of Russell’s Reserve at cask strength. Now this unique expression is returning — at the exact same abv, oddly — again for a limited time. There’s really nothing new to report when it comes to barrel picking and production; if…
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The latest Buzzard’s Roost release is a true rarity, a seven year old bourbon made from just 2 barrels of whiskey, born of a mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley and featuring a secondary maturation in 18-month-seasoned Level 1 charred barrels before being bottled at cask strength. Just 260 bottles were…
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Barrell Bourbon is back with yet another batch in its long-running bourbon series. For those keeping score at home, we’re up to 35 now. To describe this one as another mix of bourbons sourced from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee probably simplifies things too much. The Barrell folks do a great job of explaining on their…
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Hot on the heels of their 10th anniversary release, Tenniel, Kentucky’s Rabbit Hole Distillery is out with yet another limited edition, the fourth in their Founder’s Collection line. Like their very first Founder’s release, Boxergrail, this latest offering is a rare, cask strength formulation of another whiskey from the core lineup. The details, per Rabbit…
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The release of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon — now 23 years running — marks the unofficial start of whiskey season (never mind Four Roses sneaking into the schedule a couple days early), and today’s release of OldFo Birthday Bourbon 2023 is no exception. As has long been the case, this is a 12 year old…
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