Your match is an aged Bourbon.
| Body | Full bodied and powerful with alcohol and oak and caramel |
| Grain flavours | Corn: caramel, honey or cornbread. Rye: spices Barley: cream, nuts or malt |
| Making flavours | Mashing and Fermentation: fruits (sometimes apple, pear), esters, floral |
| Aging flavours | Oak, cedar, sawdust Vanilla, caramel, toffee Spices: cinnamon, clove, and black pepper Leather, tobacco Dried Fruits: raisins, figs, dates Nuts: almond or walnut Dark chocolate, cocoa |
Bourbon is often described as America’s home spirit. It’s widely believed to have been named after Bourbon County, Kentucky. The region has proved ideal for growing the grains required for whiskey production.
Distillation techniques came over from Europe with the settlors, which, as is the way, they adapted to local ingredients. Corn’s high sugar content became the primary grain distinguishing bourbon from other whiskeys. The other key innovation in bourbon is aging in new charred oak barrels. This gives the characteristic caramel and vanilla notes.
Bourbon’s reputation has passed thorough the ages of small distillers, prohibition, mass production, emerging brands that are now huge businesses, and mass commercialisation and export. It is a global phenomenon to equal scotch whisky.
Like cheese Bourbon has large producers and artisan distillers, grand old family stills and new craft up-and-comers. The astonishing and constantly impressive way it ages in barrels, sometimes for decades, makes it one of the world’s great and most complex drinks.
How is bourbon made: Bourbon is made a from a mix of grains including corn, barley, rye, and wheat. The grains are mashed, mixed with water, and fermented using yeast to create a mash. Unlike European whiskies, the grains are not germinated. The mash is heated to develop the sugars, and then distilled to separate alcohol from impurities. This is called “white dog” or clear whiskey. It’s then aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years, often longer, which imparts colour and flavour, especially the caramel notes common in many bourbons.
The aging process is crucial, as it mellows the spirit and adds complexity. Bourbon is finally bottled at a specific proof, typically around 40-60% alcohol by volume, for sale.
Bourbon flavours can be broken down into taste from the grains, tastes from the maker’s skills, and flavours from the aging process:
New barrel aging relies on the unlocking and developing the White Dog, hence the flavours you will experience will vary from bottle to bottle and maker to maker. Here are some flavours that you might encounter and are worth searching for:
Tasting notes can therefore vary widely between different bourbon expressions. Tasting bourbon is as diverse as the American spirit.
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