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Thank YOU Distillers of America for the Best Bourbon Whiskey in the World
I have tasted lots of bourbon over the years. And I know we all have our favorites. This site is designed to help you find your all time favorite bourbon whiskey. I am not here to try to persuade you as to what tastes you should or should not have. It all comes down to what you like. I have several good friends that prefer a whiskey over a bourbon whiskey, and although I do not understand that, I respect it.
Differences between whiskey and bourbon whiskey
Maybe we should define a couple of things. According to what I have read all bourbons are a type of whiskey. However not all whiskeys are bourbon. The differences are this as I understand it and these differences are what make the flavor so great between the bourbon whisky and the straight whiskey. It also makes a huge difference in how smooth the end product is as well.
Some interesting facts about bourbon whiskey.
OK. In order for a spirit to be called bourbon it must be made in the United States. Further, all bourbon whiskey must be made in new American white oak barrels that have been charred, this is unlike straight whiskey whose distillers can re-use barrels. As a matter of fact, some of the whisky distilleries are said to reuse the barrels of producers of bourbon whiskey to attempt to obtain some of the wonderful flavors that are left In the barrels from bourbon whiskey production
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Since we now know that all Bourbon whiskey must have been distilled in the United States, support the USA and buy American! We have even had presidents of the United States that apparently loved bourbon whiskey so much that under Lynden B. Johnson’s administration, Congress declared bourbon whiskey an Americas Native Spirit. God bless America!
There are all sorts of interesting facts about bourbon whiskey.
Ever noticed how the proof level varies between bourbon whiskey? Ever wondered how the distillers get to the proof they desire? Interestingly enough, in order to get to the desired proof level, by law, the only cutting that bourbon whiskey makers can use is water. Compared to other straight whiskey distillers who can cut their product with flavorings such as caramel vanilla, cherry or I have seen berry as well as a few other flavors. One other difference is that whiskey makers can add colors to their product as well in order to get it to their desired hue for their spirit.
Bourbon whiskey makers are not allowed to do so. So what you see is what you get. So what you end up with is a straight aged sprit that is stored in a new American, charred, white oak barrel for various lengths of time, but a minimum of two years, to get to the exact taste point of whatever preferences that the bourbon whiskey distillers have in mind.
Why does bourbon Whiskey cost a little more?
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Sometimes people may wonder why bourbon whiskey costs a little more than a straight or a blended whiskey, it is simply that it takes more time and more resources in order to generate a true American Bourbon Whiskey and in my humble opinion it is well worth it.
Some other unique distilling requirements due to government regulations in order to label a product as Bourbon Whiskey is that a minimum of 51% of the grain used must be corn. Then various distilleries use their own proprietary blends of rye, malt and barley to get to that exact tasting point that they desire. Some distilleries use more corn due to the fact that the spirit distilled from corn is known to be a sweeter taste that spirits distilled from other grain. It is all a matter of taste.
There may well be some other requirements that I do not know about but these are the main rules in order to comply with being able to label a product as Bourbon Whiskey.
It all in the yeast!
If you have ever wondered how the distilleries get the same taste year after year. Besides the proprietary blend of 51% + corn and other grains it is also due to the yeast. I understand that some of the distilleries go to almost what would be considered extreme lengths to protect their yeast strain from ever being destroyed. Storing their yeast by employing methods like storage in separate areas of the country or even the world in order to preserve this precious ingredient. Without this special yeast that each distiller owns it would be impossible for them to produce what each distillery believes to be the best bourbon whiskey made.
All of this work is done just for your enjoyment and mine and I appreciate all of the work and effort that goes into making these fine products. Check out the rest of this site and I hope to provide soem interresting insight into this industry.
Thank you distillers for the best bourbon whiskey in the world. Made in America.