Bourbon - Not Just For Good Ol' Boys Mar 27 '01    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line Kentucky's greatest natural resource. Do yourself a favor, and pour one over ice. As a younger drinker, I always thought of bourbon as a "daddy drink," made for a bunch of cigar-smoking, old guys playing cards in a dark, smoke-filled back room. As I got older though, and my tastes refined, I began to see bourbon in a whole new light. Nectar of the Gods comes to mind. What Is Bourbon? There are specific guidelines that distiller's must follow in order to put the word bourbon on the label. ~ How It Starts - Most bourbon starts with sour mash. It is taken from a previous batch of mash (crushed grain going through the fermentation process), set out to sour overnight, and then added to a new batch. The process is much like that of sourdough bread. ~ Grain Content - Bourbon is distilled from a fermented mash of grain, of which a minimum of 51% of the grain used in making it must be corn. In actuality, the average is about 70%. ~ Length of Aging - Bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years. ~ Barrel Requirements - Bourbon must be aged in brand new barrels which are made of white oak and have been charred. ~ Flavor - Requirements hold that nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavor, add sweetness or alter color. ~ Proof - Bourbon is bottled at between 80 and 125 proof. Only limestone-filtered spring water may be used to lower the proof of the alcohol. ~ Location - Only whiskey made by the above process in the State of Kentucky can be called a bourbon. A Bit More About Factors That Can Affect Flavor ~ Charring - Charring of the barrels has a tremendous impact on the taste of the bourbon. The process makes the wood darker, but also caramelizes some of the natural oak sugars. During the period of time when the bourbon sits in the barrels aging, it absorbs much of its flavor and color from the barrel. ~ Age - Naturally, the longer a bourbon is aged, the more flavor and color it can take from the wood. Different Types of Bourbon The usual process of making bourbon involves the distiller collecting whiskey from hundreds of barrels. They pour them together, chill and filter them, add water and bottle. This results in the average bourbon on the market. A variety of specialized bourbons are also created using variations of this process. Single Barrel - The Master Distiller is responsible for tasting whiskey in the barrels during the aging process. Barrels which he finds to contain unusually fine whiskey are made note of and checked frequently. These "cream of the crop" barrels are allowed to mature years beyond what the average bourbon would. When the Master Distiller feels they are at the peak of perfection, they are taken from the warehouse, one at a time, and bottled one barrel at a time. Differences in the variety available are due to different formulas of grain, different proofs, different aging, and a couple of other factors. Small Batch Bourbon - Similar to single barrel, except that rather than bottling each barrel separately, the premium barrels are mixed together in small quantities. Small Scale Bourbon - In this type of bourbon, the idea is to produce a small amount of total product, and aim to have each barrel produce a premium product. So rather than producing a large total quantity and setting aside a percentage as premium, the distillery produces a small total quantity, aiming for it all to be premium. A Bit Of Trivia Where Did Bourbon Get Its Name? When Kentucky was still part of Virginia, one of its counties was named Bourbon County after the French Royal Family. Eventually Kentucky formed its own state, and Bourbon County became one of the major shipment sites for distilled spirits heading down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. All barrels shipped from this port were stamped with the name of the County, Bourbon, and everyone began calling Kentucky's corn-based spirits, bourbon. What About Jack Daniels? Often I hear Jack Daniels referred to as bourbon. It's not. Because its distilled in Tennessee, and it is charcoal-mellowed prior to aging, it is referred to as a Tennessee Whiskey. It's also delicious. Visit Some of Kentucky's Distilleries Kentucky is home to some of the most beautiful and interesting distilleries. Among the other things Kentucky has to offer, a trip to see them is certainly a treat. Some of them are: Jim Beam Clermont and Boston 502-543-9877 The Wild Turkey Distillery Route 62, 3 miles east Lawrenceburg 502-839-4544 Maker's Mark Distillery Loretto 502-865-2099 Heaven Hill Distilleries 1064 Loretto Road Bardstown 502-348-3921 Labrot and Graham Distillery Versailles 859-879-1812 Recipes Bourbon is a great ingredient in many wonderful recipes. Here are two of my favorites: Early Times Mint Julep (Official drink of the Kentucky Derby, from their website www.earlytimes.com) 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 bunch fresh mint sprigs 2 oz. Early Times Crushed ice Mix a simple syrup by combining sugar and water and boiling for 5 minutes; don't stir. Pour over a handful of mint and gently crush the mint with a spoon. Refrigerate overnight in a closed jar. Remove mint leaves and continue to refrigerate. This will keep for several weeks, and individual juleps can be made as desired. For each serving, crush a few mint leaves in the bottom of an 8 oz. glass, then fill with crushed ice. Add one tablespoon syrup and one tablespoon water. Add 2 ounces Early Times. Stir gently until glass is frosted. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint, sip and enjoy! Make one of these, sit out on the porch and sip it slowly, and I swear you can hear Scarlet O'Hara. Bourbon Balls (Found on the Internet a while ago. Wish I remembered where so I could give them credit) 1 cup finely crushed vanilla wafers 1 cup finely chopped pecans 1 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, divided 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa 2 ounces of bourbon 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup Combine vanilla wafer crumbs, chopped pecans, and confectioners' sugar. In a measuring cup, blend the Bourbon and corn syrup; stir into the dry mixture. When thoroughly blended, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more. Sift about 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar onto a large piece of waxed paper. Shape small amounts of the dough into balls then roll in powdered sugar. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator. These can be frozen. Makes about 3 dozen.

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