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 know Michigan-based Valentine Distilling best for its eponymous vodka, but the company also produces gin and a number of whiskeys, two of which we review here. What’s in these bottles of “Old Ping,” named ...
The 2020 editions of Bomberger’s and Shenk’s, the duo of annual whiskey releases that make up the Michter’s Legacy Series, arrived briefly on shelves last fall. Each was limited to less than 2000 bottles, so ...
We’re finally getting around to coverage of the final barrel proof release of Larceny from 2020, which dropped in September. As a reminder, these releases are coming out with roughly the same schedule as Elijah Craig ...
Here’s another special edition from the Chicken Cock gang, drawn from just 10 of the brand’s “best and oldest barrels.” For this 15 year old, Master Distiller Gregg Snyder offers a (sourced) Kentucky bourbon made ...
Penelope Bourbon continues to crank out expressions of its triple-mashbill, MGP-sourced bourbons as it tweaks its release schedule and experiments with new finishes. Today we look at two new Penelope releases. First is its latest ...
In 2018, Basil Hayden’s dropped its first 10 year old version of its classic bourbon. Since then the bottling has become an annual affair, dropping in the later months of each year. Recently we received ...
George Dickel is clearly sitting on sizable stocks of well-aged whiskey. The release of their Bottled in Bond in 2019 (first a 13 year and recently a more modest 11 year) and the ever-growing list ...
Dripping Springs, Texas-based Kooper Family has been slowly ramping up its product line since we first encountered them 5 years ago. Our latest find is this bourbon, a 4 year old sourced from Kentucky (though ...
Since 2016, Barrell has ended a long year of whiskey releases with a limited edition bourbon send-off dubbed New Year. When I first discussed this release years ago with the Barrell Team, I was told ...
It’s round five for Yellowstone’s special-edition bourbon releases, which always hits at the tail end of the year and offers a much different experience than the standard Yellowstone Select bottling — as well as the ...
