What is bourbon whiskey?
Bourbon whiskey must include at least 51% corn. The remaining ingredients are a mixture of barley, rye, and/or wheat for fermentation. Many types of Bourbon are still produced today using the sour mash method. In column stills, the majority of American whiskey is made.
No age restriction US law mandates that bourbon be matured for at least two years in freshly toasted American white oak barrels. The whisky cannot be given a finish or additional ageing in the style of Scotch Whisky. Whiskey is referred to as “Straight Bourbon” if it isn’t blended.
Tennessee Whiskey differs from Bourbon in that it undergoes a charcoal filtering process before to being poured into barrels.
Whiskey made from corn, rye, and barley is called bourbon. Oftentimes, bourbon is wrongly categorised as a type of scotch whisky. The county in Kentucky where bourbon was first produced is where it gets its name. The colour of bourbon is amber, and it spends at least two years maturing in oak barrels.
Although the precise origin of the name is unknown, it is believed to have been derived from the French Bourbon family, whose name is also shared by Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Bourbon County in Kentucky.
Any whiskey can be called Bourbon as long as it satisfies a set of requirements. Similar to Scotch whisky producers, bourbon producers must use neutral barrels that don’t impart flavour to the alcohol.
Is bourbon whiskey a cheap whiskey?
Because it is created from maize, which is far less expensive than barley, the grain used to make other whiskeys, bourbon whiskey is less expensive than Scotch, Irish, and other whiskeys. Additionally, the United States, where bourbon is made, has lower grain prices than other nations.
Is every bourbon a whiskey?
Whiskey is not all whiskey, but not all bourbon is whiskey. What is what is governed by a rigid set of government criteria.
Product made in the United States of America (not Kentucky) from a fermented mash that contains at least 51% maize.
Distilled to a maximum proof of 160. Stored in fresh, charred oak barrels at a maximum proof of 125. Aged at least two years.
Without additives.
How much alcohol is in a bourbon whiskey?
When distilled and bottled, bourbon whiskey must contain at least 40% alcohol (80 proof).
