Bourbon Whiskey

Bourbon Whiskey

The native spirit

Named after Bourbon County in Kentucky, Bourbon whiskey is considered America’s ‘native spirit’. It has a long and illustrious history in the United States and it can thank a fortunate chain of events for its invention. While most think Bourbon has its roots in America’s South, its story actually starts in Pennsylvannia when early settlers where convinced to move south. They were encouraged to do so to avoid the ‘Whiskey Rebellion’, an uprising in the community over the tax introduced on whiskey to fund the debts amassed during America’s War of Independence. Incentives were offered and Kentucky’s then Govenor, Thomas Jefferson, offered settlers 60 acres of land to raise corn. It was this corn that was used by the Scotch-Irish settlers that was to become the famed Bourbon whiskey.

Bourbon's iconic sour mash

As is the case with most Scotch whisky, Bourbon whiskey is distilled from grain, but uses corn as its core ingredient. Maize corn is ground and steeped in water to to produce a mash. Yeast is then added to the mash to produce alcohol. But it is the ageing of the resulting spirit that makes Bourbon so unique.

Straight Bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years in new, charred oak barrels. The charred oak gives Bourbon its distinctive colour and rich, mellow, smooth flavour. The other technique that distinguishes Bourbon from other whiskeys is the use of a sour mash. This process involves returning a previous mash to the new batch to introduce acidity, aiding the control of bacterial growth that can taint a whiskey. This process has been credited to to either James C. Crow or James S. Amburgey and as of 2005, all straight Bourbon whiskeys use a sour mash process.

To mix or not to mix?

Bourbon’s sweeter flavour lends itself to a huge array of drinking styles. While good quality straight Bourbon can and should be drunk ‘neat’ (on its own), the addition of ice is sometimes encouraged, unlike Scotch Whisky. Adding water is also a great technique to open up the flavours of Bourbon, allowing you to experience all the generous flavours. Bourbon whiskey is also widely mixed with soft drinks, especially cola, with the sweet flavours of both intermingling extremely well. Popular Bourbon Cocktails include Seven and Seven, Bourbon Sour, Kentucky Colonel and the Dixie Dew.

Bourbon Whiskey section of a Dan Murphy's store

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