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
South Carolina’s High Wire Distilling is known for various brandies and Revival Rye, but its biggest claim to fame is undoubtedly Jimmy Red Bourbon. The house style whiskey is distilled from 100% Jimmy Red corn, an heirloom grain with kernels the shade of ripe pomegranate seeds. Over the years, High Wire has expanded the Jimmy…
Yellowstone‘s new Recollection Series Bourbon was inspired not by a recipe or a person, but by a bottle. This striking decanter is a recreation of one that Yellowstone head honcho Steve Beam discovered on eBay. These incredibly lovely bottle designs were used in pre-Prohibition days back in the time when saloons would purchase whiskey by…
Listen, I love innuendo as much — or more than — anyone. But Big Dick’s Banana Whiskey? Now we’re really pushing things, no? Big Dick’s Banana Whiskey comes from ISCO, best known for selling a pizza vodka and oyster flavored vodka, It’s sold only in 100ml pocket bottles, and virtually no information about the product…
In 2024, Jim Beam’s Baker’s Bourbon brand launched a spin-off of its classic 7 year old bottling, called Baker’s Single Barrel High Rye Bourbon 7 Years Old made with twice the amount of rye in the mash (26% vs. 13%). It’s now a roughly annual affair — and still a single barrel release. Oddly, this…
Serving as CEO and CFO, Drew Thorn spent a decade shaping Sagamore Spirit into a nationally recognized name. In January 2024, he stepped away from that platform to pursue something intentionally smaller and more hands-on that went to market in February 2026: Silverthorn Reserve. The new venture focuses on single barrel curation, custom finishing, and…
Castle & Key has been cranking out all manner of spirits for years, but it’s only in the last few that its bourbon program has really ramped up. Recently the company sent us two samples of its Small Batch offering, which has been evolving since its launch in 2022. What we’re tasting today is the…
Barrell Bourbon is back on our radar with the latest Cask Finish Series. As a reminder, this is a limited-edition line of specialty finished bourbons that has included some pretty adventurous offerings like Ice Wine. We named that whiskey the best of 2024 and, to our knowledge, something like it has yet to be replicated…
Bluegrass Distillers was established in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2012 by Ben Franzini and Sam Rock. The following year, the distillery began production on a 250-gallon Hoga copper pot still fired by open flame, frequently working with heirloom corn varieties and placing a particular emphasis on blue corn. In 2020, Bluegrass Distillers acquired the historic Elkwood…
Hoot + Howl (or Hoot and Howl, if you like) is a Colorado distillery that just launched in 2025, one of its first products being a bourbon finished in an Armagnac barrel. The sourced product starts with a seven year old bourbon from MGP that spends a full extra year in the brandy barrel before…
Lazy K Bar is one of the oldest ranches in Montana (Big Timber, to be exact), and now it’s also a whiskey. Be advised: They don’t distill it there. This is a blend of Kentucky bourbons, aged 8, 9, and 10 years old, from an unstated distillery. Did I mention Cole Hauser, who appears on Yellowstone,…