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
To call Jackie Zykan‘s first release of Hidden Barn Bourbon a blunder would be a charitable understatement, as the whiskey — all seven barrels of it — proved underdeveloped and mostly uninteresting. The 4 to 5 year old whiskey, sourced from a Kentucky operation called Neeley Family Distillery in Kentucky, was “Made the Hard Way,”…
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Dickel has been cranking out special edition whiskeys with double-digit ages as part of its ongoing Bottled in Bond series for a few years now. But for the holidays, the distillery has dropped an even older bottling that hits a full 17 years of age, though it’s not bonded, entering the bottle at 46% abv.…
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The mad fanaticism over all things whiskey continued unabated in 2022, but with quality like this on the market, it’s hard not to see why. Some of this stuff is so insanely good that we can fully understand the wild price hikes and long lines and lotteries just to win the chance at buying a…
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Bluebird Distilling, a grain-to-glass operation in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, has been producing a huge range of spirits since its founding in 2014, but somehow we’ve never managed to review any of their wares. Today we finally correct that with a look at Bluebird’s Four Grain Bourbon, made with a mash of corn, rye, red winter wheat,…
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WhistlePig has been stuffing our mailbox of late with new releases and special editions. What started with the masterful new Boss Hog IX has only continued, with a new extension of the PiggyBack line — a bourbon, not rye — a second special edition of PiggyBack Rye, and — saving the best for last —…
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Colorado-based Tincup is back with its oldest whiskey yet. Fourteener is billed as a bourbon, unlike its eponymous bottling and Tincup 10 Years Old, both of which are denoted as American Whiskeys, due to the addition of a small amount of Stranahan’s single malt in their final blends. (Update: Tincup says that single malt is no…
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The march of Basil Hayden whiskey releases continues with yet another special expression, this one starting with standard Basil Hayden bourbon, then finishing it in California red wine casks. There’s no information on the finishing process (or much else) beyond that descriptor, so let’s simply dive in. The dissonance here is immediate. The nose is…
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Oregon-based Wolf Spirits is wasting no time in building out their new line of Puncher’s Chance bourbons. In 2021 Drinkhacker reviewed their inaugural Puncher’s Chance, a blend of 4 and 6 year old sourced Kentucky bourbon, and in 2022 their follow-on D12stance expression, which leaped to a 12 year old age statement, also sourced, this…
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Old Fitzgerald‘s bonded releases come out at a steady two-per-year clip, and the second/final release for 2022 has arrived. This 19 year old expression is notable as the oldest release in the lineup to date, two years older than the spring 2022 release (which itself was the oldest ever release at the time). The wheated…
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Maker’s Mark’s oddly-named annual Wood Finishing Series releases continue with 2022’s BRT-01 and BRT-02, a pair of whiskeys designed to showcase the distinct differences generated by aging at the top of the rickhouse vs. the comparably cool bottom of the rickhouse. While Maker’s Mark (and many other distilleries) rotate barrels from top to bottom over…
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