Before bottling, bourbon is filtered and diluted down to no less than 80 proof 40 percent alcohol by volume. Other whiskeys have different ABV standards for barreling and distilling. The minimum bottling strength for Scotch whiskey, for example, is also 80 proof or 40 percent ABV, but there is no maximum or minimum ABV for the distillate.
You may have heard that in order to be a bourbon, the whiskey has to be from Kentucky. That's not quite true—bourbon can be made outside that state. But to be designated a "Kentucky bourbon," the spirit has to be both distilled and aged in Kentucky. The name "bourbon" even comes from old Bourbon, what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky.
Most bourbon is made in Kentucky, but not all, so it has become synonymous with the spirit, much as the Champagne region in France is synonymous with champagne, even though sparkling wine using similar methods is produced elsewhere.
So next time you order a bourbon, you know that what you'll be getting in your glass isn't just a whiskey, but a specific and delicious kind of whiskey.
By Margaret Eby August 25, This also goes to the time it takes for all the tannins and vanillins to dissolve into the spirit. Another important factor is the evaporation of water. In warmer temperatures, the water evaporates way quicker.
This means that a Scottish distillery that left their barrel for 20 years is left with way more liquor compared to a distillery in Florida. A darker whiskey is associated with a higher quality whiskey. This is also one of the main reasons why adding a coloring is so tempting to distilleries. If you are a Scottish distillery and have been using the same used bourbon barrel for 30 years, the whiskey that comes out will not be as dark as consumers expect a 25 year old whiskey to look like.
What makes it difficult is that brands to not have to say whether or not they have added coloring to their product. This leaves people guessing at if and how much the color will deviate from the original product. In the more recent years, more white whiskeys have been coming to our stores. Is it whiskey? But why then does it not look anything like the whiskeys we are used to drinking. This is because the whiskey has barely touched a barrel before being bottled.
White whiskey offers the perfect opportunity for new and smaller distilleries to release a product before releasing a respectable, aged whiskey. It is not allowed for these distilleries to directly bottle the spirit that came out of the stills, as this would not be whiskey.
A news article over at chicagotribune. Whiskey is one of the most diverse spirits. It can be made in a number of ways, and depending on the region it is made in, its flavor can vary quite a lot. For a beginner whiskey drinker, you For beginners venturing into the world of whiskey, there is often some confusion around the different types of whiskeys available.
Some new whiskey sippers may not even realize that some of these Skip to content When enjoying a glass of whiskey I often hold up my glass to the light and watch how the light plays with the color. Why is whiskey brown? How does whiskey get its brown color? Moonshine is traditionally made from corn but it can also be made from rye and other grains. The process of producing moonshine is precisely the same as the one for creating whiskey, although moonshine is not aged in a cask.
Both white whiskey and moonshine are clear, unaged whiskeys that have raw grain aromas and notes of corn. White whiskey production is becoming more sophisticated, however, with craft distilleries jumping at the chance to offer something new and interesting. By definition, moonshine is untaxed and illegal.
Despite its short aging process and reduced flavor and aroma profile compared with regular whiskey, clear whiskey can still have complex flavor. Bully Boy Distillers, a Boston-based craft distillery, produces one of the most popular white whiskeys with complex notes of pepper, nut, vanilla, and banana that can be enjoyed neat.
Whiskey comes in a range of colors from clear and very light to deep colors of brown, caramel, and gold. European oak tends to produce a strong yellow whiskey while American white oak adds a reddish shade to the spirit. The oak casks are often charred or toasted which adds extra color and flavor notes to the whiskey. A charred barrel is burned thoroughly and leaves a black interior with ash residue that makes the whiskey quite dark while imparting honey and caramel flavors by caramelizing the wood sugars which leach into the spirit.
The carbon in the ash also works to filter the harsh elements in the spirit for a smoother flavor. Barrels can also be toasted which means they are heated gently to produce a dark brown interior. This adds spice and vanilla flavors to the whiskey with sharper flavors and a lighter color. American bourbon must be aged in brand-new, charred oak barrels. This very quickly gives the bourbon its signature mahogany appearance.
Bourbon is typically made with new oak casks but other whiskeys are made with used casks. Whether the cask was used for sherry, brandy, port, or bourbon affects not only the flavor but the color of the final product. A sherry cask will produce a whiskey with an auburn color while bourbon casks create a whiskey lighter in color.
Port casks add a pinkish hue. Scotch whisky is almost always distilled in used barrels, particularly used bourbon barrels.
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