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
We’re back again with yet another special release from Barrell Craft Spirits, and this one is all about the wood, three different types of wood, in fact. I’ll let Barrell supply the deets: Vantage is a blend of straight bourbons finished in three distinct expressions of virgin oak: Mizunara, French, and toasted American oak casks.…
Read More
Virginia’s Filibuster has been producing craft spirits for years, maturing to the point where it has finally released its own bonded bourbon offering. This five year old whiskey is made from local Shenandoah Valley grains (corn, rye, barley; no proportions stated) and water, with 12 barrels produced in total. Soft and supple, this is a…
Read More
To celebrate 10 years in business, Chattanooga earlier this year dropped its Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend, which is composed of “three whiskey recipes” distilled in both Chattanooga, Tennessee and in Indiana by MGP. I don’t have a perfect understanding of how this blend comes together, but here’s what the company says: It’s made with “two…
Read More
You’ve had single barrel whiskey, but what about single rickhouse? Whiskey that may not have been produced at the same time, but which has all been matured in the same building. It’s kind of a genius idea, and it’s the basis for a new series of whiskeys from Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve. The new Single Rickhouse…
Read More
What do you get when you combine a pioneer of the American craft distilling movement with a revered Irish whiskey Master Distiller? Apparently, the answer is Keeper’s Heart Whiskey. Inspired by the Irish-American heritage of the O’Shaughnessy family, Keeper’s Heart bills itself as a marriage of the best Irish and American whiskey-making traditions, and while…
Read More
We’ve been writing about Green River for years, almost since it got started back in 2016 under the O.Z. Tyler name. Last year we even looked at an almost ready preview bottling of Green River’s eponymous bourbon, made from a mash of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% barley. Now Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey…
Read More
Dickel’s well-priced, top-shelf Bottled in Bond release has become an annual affair, now in its fourth edition. For two of the first three years, the BiB bottling has been a 13 year old, as it is once again for 2022. Dickel’s 2020 is the lone outlier, a whiskey distilled in fall 2008 and bottled at…
Read More
We’re back today with even more Bardstown Bourbon Co.: Two different releases, in fact, from their Collaborative Series. For those who have trouble keeping up with all of the BBCo. releases, the Collaborative Series showcases the distillery’s various finished whiskeys produced in partnership with breweries, wineries, Cognac houses – pretty much anyone who puts a…
Read More
Last summer, we tasted Fireside Single Barrel Bourbon from the irreverent and innovative Colorado craft distillery Mile High Spirits. Today, we’re digging into the oldest whiskey offering under their Fireside label, a Bottled in Bond Bourbon. As far as I can tell, it’s essentially the same rye bourbon as the single barrel but bottled in…
Read More
Blanco, Texas-based Milam & Greene Whiskey has launched a whole new series of whiskeys called Unabridged, another blended bourbon that has been designed not just by CEO Heather Greene but also by Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich, well-known whiskey nerds and writers. Per the company, “The three tasted numerous whiskey samples and ultimately created a…
Read More