Bourbon

Bourbon is America’s whiskey. By U.S. federal regulation, bourbon must be made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 80% alcohol by volume, aged in new, charred oak containers, and bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) or higher. The whiskey does not have to come from Kentucky — only about 95% of it does, and the state title “Kentucky Straight Bourbon” is a separate, stricter designation — but the spirit of the style is overwhelmingly American and overwhelmingly oak-driven.

The new-charred-oak requirement is what makes bourbon taste like bourbon. The fresh lumber compounds give the whiskey its characteristic caramel, vanilla, and brown-sugar notes within the first few years of contact, and those flavors deepen into toasted oak, leather, and baking spice as the spirit ages. Bourbons aged 4–6 years typically hit the sweet spot of sweet-and-spice balance; bourbons aged 10+ years become more about oak and dried fruit than sweetness.

Key bourbon facts:

• Corn-heavy mash bills (60–80% corn, the remainder typically rye for spice or wheat for softness) drive the sweetness.
• Sour mash is standard — a portion of the previous fermentation is carried over into the next, controlling pH and consistency.
• No minimum aging unless “Straight” is on the label; “Straight Bourbon” requires 2+ years in new charred oak.
• Bottled-in-Bond (1897 federal law) is a quality designation: 50% ABV, one distillery, one distilling season, aged 4+ years in a federally bonded warehouse. The category’s reputation was built on this standard.
• Single Barrel means every bottle is drawn from one barrel — flavor concentration can vary noticeably from one to the next.
• Small Batch is not federally defined; it typically means a few hundred barrels or fewer were blended.

Where the flavor comes from:

Regional note: Bourbon is produced wherever there is a still and a charred barrel, but 95% of it comes from Kentucky — the limestone-filtered water of the region is widely credited (and debated) for the local style. Tennessee whiskey follows the bourbon rulebook but adds an extra step: the Lincoln County Process filters the spirit through sugar-maple charcoal before aging. That process is required for the “Tennessee Whiskey” designation but is sometimes legally just “bourbon with one extra step.”

How to drink bourbon:

• Neat in a tumbler warms the spirit and lets the oak aromas open up.
• With a few drops of water opens the ethanol burn and reveals more fruit and spice. A small ice cube is the same idea, slowly.
• Old Fashioned is the canonical cocktail: bourbon, sugar, bitters, citrus peel. It’s the cocktail that almost certainly contains the most bourbon in the world.
• Mint Julep is the Kentucky Derby classic — bourbon, simple syrup, fresh mint, crushed ice.

What to look for in a bourbon bottle:

• Age statement (when present) tells you minimum years in the cask. Some brands blend NAS (no-age-statement) bourbons that are just as old or older but don’t have to be.
• Mash bill disclosure varies — Buffalo Trace and Four Roses publish theirs in detail; others guard the recipe.
• “Single barrel” vs “small batch” vs “blended” — single barrel is the most variable, small batch is the most curated, blended is the most consistent.

The catalog covers 18 bourbons, from $30 everyday bottles to allocated single-barrels worth chasing.