Fall Drink Alert: Bourbon Is Back

"You have just landed on the soil of the home of bourbon, America's native spirit,"

 Bill Newlands, North American president of Beam Inc

Bourbon is making a comeback. Or maybe it’s simply being discovered by a new generation of cocktail enthusiasts intoxicated with shows such as Mad Men and “foodie culture,” which prizes everything local and new. What’s certain is that in recent years “America’s native spirit” has been growing exponentially in popularity.  Deeply rooted in American history with a distinctive flavor all its own, bourbon has now become the fastest growing liquor category in the United States, outpacing sales of all other spirits, including vodka and gin.

While technically a whiskey, bourbon is a special kind of whiskey strongly associated with the historical American South, and Kentucky in particular, where most of it is made. Distilled from a fermented mash of grain, it is what is known as a “brown liquor.” Bourbon shares a similar recipe with its whiskey cousins, with one important exception. A string of federal laws, enacted by Congress in 1964, govern most of its aspects. Chief among those laws is the stipulation that the recipe (known as the mash-bill) must contain at least 51 percent corn.

Other laws include the requirement that bourbon be made only in the United States and that it be aged for a minimum of 2 years in new, charred-oak barrels (American, of course.) This aging process is what is referred to as "straight bourbon" and it is responsible for producing the dramatic reddish color and distinctive oaky flavor for which the liquor is known.

Think of the mash-bill as the “recipe.” Most mash-bills contain the obligatory corn plus barley and rye. Some include wheat. The grains can vary from brand to brand, with distillers manipulating the proportions to produce different colors, flavors and strengths. Here are some examples of the more common categories of bourbons along with some tasty suggestions.

Traditional

The traditional bourbon recipe calls for about 70 percent corn with equal parts barley and rye. Baker’s, Knob Creek, Jim Beam and Wild Turkey are examples of this style.

High Rye

Refers to higher rye content and a more bold and spicy flavor. Bourbons in this group include Bulleit, Basil Hayden’s, Old Grand -Dad and Buffalo Trace, with Four Roses Single Barrel coming in at the highest rye count of any bourbon on the market.

High Corn

While 51 percent is the minimum required by law, many bourbons contain as much 60 to 70 percent corn.  Some have really high corn content (over 80 percent.), Two well known bourbons in this category include

Old Charter made by Buffalo Trace (over 80 percent)

New York Microdistiller Tuthilltown, made from 100 percent corn.

Wheaters

Some distillers add wheat to the traditional mash-bill of corn, barley and rye. this produces bourbons that are sweeter with a more pronounced caramel taste. Examples include Makers Mark, Van Winkle and Rebel Yell.

**A note on Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7, another American whiskey and perhaps the most famous whiskey globally. This is not a bourbon as it is filtered through hard maple charcoal prior to maturation.

Whatever your palate, check out one of the new tasting bars popping up in your town. Here are some great ones in the D.C. area.

Bourbon  2321 18th St, NW

Jack Rose Dining Saloon  2007 18th St., NW

Barrel  613 Pennsylvania Ave

Posted by Carole Funger

#bourbon #drinking trends