bourbon

Whisky which is made primarily from corn but can also contain rye, wheat, or malted barley.  Bourbon can be traced back to the 18^th century.  There are conflicting legends about the origin and who was the first to produce the now popular alcohol.  Both Jacob Beam and Evan Williams made huge contributions in the early stages of introduction of this new American spirit.  Bardstown Kentucky was definitely the epicenter of the bourbon craze and is known as “the bourbon capital of the world” to this day.  Reverend Elijah Craig is credited with aging bourbon in charred oak casks for the first time.

               The Grain mixture for bourbon is known as the mash bill and is made up of at least 51% corn and remainder can be rye, wheat, and malted barley.  The grain is ground up and mixed with water.  Sometimes a previous distillation of mash is added to the new mash and this is considered a sour mash.  Some producers do this to create a more consistent pH across different batches.  Yeast is then added for the fermentation process.  Once the distillation is complete the whiskey is put into newly charred American oak barrels.  All bourbons mature at different rates so there is no actual set number of years for the aging of bourbon.  It is done when the master distiller feels it has matured to the best of its ability and any further aging would be a detriment.  Once removed it is usually filtered and diluted with water.  The leftover barrels are sold throughout the world for many different products in the liquor world and other various industries. 

Stipulations to be called Bourbon

 1.      Must be produced in the U.S
           2.     Grain mixture of at least 51% corn
                      3.      Must be aged in new charred oak barrels
   4.      Distilled to a max of 160 proof
                                                                                               5.      Barreled at no more than 125 proof.  Can be at a higher proof then when it is put in.
                                                                                    6.      Bottled at least at 80 proof (anything less must be labeled “diluted bourbon”)
                                7.       Straight bourbon must be aged at least 2 years
                                                                   8.      Any bourbon aged less than 4 years must include an age statement