Tonight, sadly, does not come with a delicious recipe. I have been sick with the flu and the flu does not inspire great recipes that involve anything other than toast. Instead, it comes full of boring hours doing tons of research. Yawn right? Before you close out in disgust, the information is on stuff that is actually really awesome and loved by everyone. BOURBON!!
I am writing about the liquor of the United States. Why do I call it the liquor of the United States? Why not vodka or tequila or gin or beer or even wine? That's because to be called Bourbon it must be made with in the United States. A common misconception is that Bourbon can only be made in Bourbon County, KY, but that's nothing more than a myth; it can be made anywhere in the United States. You can follow the same recipe for making say, Maker's Mark, (kudos to Maker's for the excellent info-graphic to the left), in Canada or Japan and it must legally be called whiskey. This is agreed upon by all nations of the world, as proposed and agreed upon in 1964, during the 88th Congress that bourbon would be a "distinctive product of the United States". Crazy right?
Where does the name Bourbon even come from? This a great question... that has many different answers. It is said that an early distiller named Jacob Spears from Bourbon County first named his product "Bourbon Whiskey", and this is where the name comes from. However, another theory (my favorite) is that the name bourbon comes from Bourbon Street, New Orleans. This is due to the fact that the whiskey from Kentucky was cheaper than French cognac. It was the street that named the liquor and not the other way around!
So what makes bourbon Bourbon? Bourbon has to be made from at least 51% corn, no ifs, ands, or buts. The other 49% can be what ever the distiller wants to add. The common ingredients are, wheat, rye, and barley. After bourbon has been fermented, it has to be distilled to no more than 160 proof or 80% alcohol. The bourbon then must be aged in NEW charred white oak barrels at no more than 125 proof or 62.5% alcohol.The barrels are charred to release the flavors of the wood more efficiently. The distiller is allowed to add water and only water to lower the proof before barreling. Once a barrel is used, bourbon can never again be produced from that barrel. These barrels can still be used to age whiskey, beer and even rum. When aging bourbon, there is no legal time limit one must reach. However, if you age it for less than 4 years you must state exactly how long it has been aged. So when distillers say "we age our bourbon for 4 years! wow!" they are basically saying "Eh, we just do the bare minimum standard". The aging process is where bourbon gets most of its flavor. This is due to temperature changes in the weather affecting the barrels. When it is hot outside, the bourbon expands and enters the wood of the barrel. When it is cold the bourbon contracts back out of the wood, gaining flavor and color. Newer distilleries use smaller barrels to get the taste of a long aging but in shorter time. This occurs due to the smaller the barrel, the more surface area the bourbon has to interact with. During aging a certain percentage of the bourbon will evaporate. The longer the aging process, the more bourbon evaporates. This evaporation is what distillers call the " angels share" and why longer aged bourbons and scotches are more expensive: there is simply less bourbon.
Your bourbon is aged, so now what? Here is where I believe bourbon is far superior to regular whiskey. Whatever comes out of the barrel can not be tampered with. This also allows for subtle differences in batches aged in different years. One can not add sugar for sweetness or balance, nor neutral spirits to get more mileage out of the liquor. Did you know anything labeled as whiskey only has to contain 51% whiskey? So some whiskeys that are absolutely adored contain almost as much vodka as whiskey! *Cough* Crown Royal *cough*. With bourbon being 100% whiskey, with little room for error, truly elevates bourbon above whiskey.
Now before you set off to conquer that veritable mountain of bourbon, I'd like to offer up a few "local" offerings to try out. I highly recommend if you are in the Houston area to try Yellow Rose Distilling. They age their bourbon in 5 gallon barrels and have a recipe of 100% corn. This bourbon deserves to knock out other pretenders in your liquor cabinet. The bourbon it self is very easy to drink due to sweetness imparted by the corn.
Garrison Brothers out of Hye, Texas, (Fredericksburg pretty much) is the first bourbon distillery in Texas. They age their bourbon in 30 gallon barrels and have a recipe of organic Texas white corn, Texas wheat and rye, (Grown on site!) and with barley from the Pacific Northwest. The rye in the bourbon gives it a nice spice to go with the nuttiness of the barley and wheat. The corn helps round it out into an excellent bourbon to bring out and show off to guests. On a side note the tour of Garrision Brothers is fantastic. Situated in the stunning hill country of Texas and sitting atop a hill, the drive out there is worth it just for the view, and not just the tour guides who heartily believe in the product.
So there you have it, friends and reluctant followers, a short intro into the world of bourbon. I hope I have wet any appetites for the amber nectar, and have given a nice educational experience. I would absolutely love to have any conversation regarding the above material, so don't be shy!
'Till next time, eat, drink bourbon, and be merry!
Cody
No comments:
Post a Comment