What makes bourbon distinct from other whiskeys is the way it is manufactured and aged. All whiskey is spirit made from fermented grain and then aged in barrels. But the kind of grain and the kind of barrels determines the variety of whiskey. Per the American Bourbon Association , in order to be classified as bourbon, a whiskey needs to be distilled from a mixture of grains, or mash, that's at least 51 percent corn.
That corn gives bourbon its distinctive sweet flavor. Bourbon also must be aged in new charred oak barrels, and cannot include any additives or colorings. Other whiskeys can be aged in barrels previously used to age other spirits, and they don't necessarily need to be whiskey barrels—port, sherry, and rum casks are used in the aging process for non-bourbon whiskeys. To be designated "straight bourbon whiskey," bourbon has to have been aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years.
When bourbon is barreled, it also has to hit a certain proof, or alcohol content in the spirit. The mash must be distilled at proof or 80 percent alcohol by volume or less, and aged in barrels until it is no more than proof This mash is referred to as the sour mash and translates the distinctive flavor from year to year.
You can count on sour mash bourbons as the taste will be incredibly consistent and will not change over the years. Continue reading. Log in. Blog Home » Whiskey ». Whiskey , Facts About Alcohol , Bourbon.
March 14, Posted by Redhead Blogger. Share Tags: Whiskey , sour mash bourbon , blended bourbon , straight bourbon. Newer Aging Liquor in Oak Barrels. Back to list. Gift Ideas. November 7, Posted by Redhead Blogger 3 comments. The holiday season is approaching, and with it comes the inevitable stress of buying the perfect gift for the important people in y August 11, Posted by Redhead Blogger. Hard Liquor Basics A basic primer for the more popular hard liquor types will necessary include popular liquors like brandy, tequila, Whiskey , Facts About Alcohol.
July 17, Posted by Redhead Blogger. There are many types of whiskies that fall withing the broad category of whisky. These include bourbon and rye, and whiskies named afte July 4, Posted by Redhead Blogger. Over the decades, oak barrels have proven to be the supreme vehicles for aging potable liquors.
This is due to its semi-permeable natu Do not confuse this with a wheat whiskey such as Burnheim. An age statement is simply a disclaimer about the age of the youngest bourbon in the bottle. So, for example, a bourbon with an age statement of 10 years is made up entirely of bourbons that are 10 years old and up.
A bourbon older than four years does not need to carry an age statement, by law. So if you see one that does, it's usually for older bourbons—generally, ten years of age or older. One term you might see on a label is "Straight Bourbon.
Straight bourbon must be at least two years old. If it's older than two but younger than four years, it must carry an age statement, and that age statement must reflect the youngest bourbon in the bottle. Finally, straight bourbon may not contain added colorings or flavorings.
Another term you'll see is "Sour Mash. This makes the mash taste a little sour, but it doesn't affect the flavor of the finished whiskey. The process is roughly analogous to using a sourdough starter when making bread, though unlike a sourdough starter, a sour mash is made of dead yeasts.
The process has two advantages: first, it help ensures consistency from batch to batch, and second, it lowers the pH of the batch, leading to more efficient fermentation. The term "sour mash" implies that there might be such a thing as a "sweet mash," and this is true, although rare. In a sweet mash, only fresh yeast is added to the batch. Sweet mash has a higher pH, meaning the mash ferments differently, producing flavors you won't generally find in sour mashes. Woodford Reserve has experimented with sweet mashes in recent years.
Before most bourbons indeed, most whiskeys in general are bottled, they're diluted with water to bottling proof. Adding water is a way to stretch the supply of bourbon, making it less expensive to produce.
The lower proof is also seen as being more palatable to consumers. Some bourbons, though, have less water added, and are sold at higher proofs, such as 90 proof, 95, , Wild Turkey, of course , or even higher. Also known as barrel-proof bourbon, a cask-strength bourbon is undiluted.
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