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
Wyoming Whiskey’s latest release is a charity-focused bottling, launched to support the National Park Foundation. The brand launched the release with a virtual auction featuring four one-of-a-kind bottles in the so-called Wide Open Spaces – ...
Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve brand tends to fly under the radar a bit, but ignoring this latest release would be a mistake. It might be the best bottling ever to come out under the label. ...
New England travelers have long known Providence — Rhode Island’s capital and economic center — as an underrated gem. It’s famous for a thriving arts community, diverse food scene (with an emphasis on seafood), and ...
Elmer T. Lee was one of Buffalo Trace’s longest serving Master Distillers, and perhaps more importantly, he’s credited with launching Blanton’s, the very first commercially available single barrel bourbon. In 1986, not long after his ...
There isn’t much information on Three Springs Bottling Company, based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, although they have been strategically releasing “tribute” bourbons that have been steadily garnering attention. We recently reviewed their Sam Houston 15 ...
The always intriguing Blood Oath series continues with this, its seventh annual release: Blood Oath Pact 7 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. As has been the case in previous years, it’s a blend of Kentucky bourbons, ...
We’ve long been impressed with the bourbons rolling out of Virginia’s A. Smith Bowman distillery. While new, hyper-rare limited edition releases under the Abraham Bowman label come around roughly once a year, there hasn’t been ...
Kentucky’s Willett Distillery continues to periodically release cask strength, single barrel bourbons under its Family Estate label, with some releases now approaching 8 years of age or older. Last year, we reviewed the earliest of ...
Sam Houston was an adventurous, self-made patriot and eventually a Democratic senator from Texas known for his brutal honesty. The bourbon bearing his name and produced by Three Springs Bottling Company hails from Bardstown, Kentucky. ...
In 2019, George Dickel impressed us so much with its 13-year-old Bottled in Bond that we put it in our Top 10 Whiskeys list for the year. In 2020, the distillery produced a very solid, ...
