What makes it Kentucky straight bourbon?

The primary requirement that defines bourbon as straight is if the distillate has spent a minimum of two years stored in new charred oak barrels. The only exception to this rule is corn whiskey, which is aged in uncharred or used oak barrels. During the aging process, Bourbon oxidizes and penetrates the wood.

What makes Kentucky bourbon different?

The water in Kentucky is hard — meaning, it has a high pH and a high proportion of minerals, including calcium and magnesium. These elements are optimal for distilling. The yeast in bourbon adores those minerals. They aid the fermentation process and create the distinctive, crisp Kentucky bourbon we know and love.

What is a Kentucky straight?

An especially prominent variation is the labeling "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey", used to indicate a straight whiskey made in Kentucky from a mash of at least 51% corn grain. For a straight whiskey to be called corn whiskey, it must use a mash with at least 80% corn and be aged in used or uncharred barrels.

What is the difference between bourbon and Kentucky Bourbon?

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.

What is the difference between straight bourbon and single barrel bourbon?

Single barrel Bourbon occupies a similar production, aging, and barrelling process to standard Bourbon. However, single-barrel Bourbons are seen as a premium class of whiskey. Each single barrel bottling comes from one individual aging barrel instead of a blended mix of Bourbons of various barrels.

What is Kentucky Straight Bourbon?

Is straight bourbon better?

Drinking a beverage “neat” means that it's served to you at room temperature straight with no ice and no additives. This will give you the purest appreciation for the liquor since there are no other elements getting in the way of its rich, aromatic flavor. Some bourbon bars might include a few drops of water.

Why is it called straight bourbon?

The primary requirement that defines bourbon as straight is if the distillate has spent a minimum of two years stored in new charred oak barrels. The only exception to this rule is corn whiskey, which is aged in uncharred or used oak barrels. During the aging process, Bourbon oxidizes and penetrates the wood.

Why Jack Daniels is not a bourbon?

The company does not prefer to call it Bourbon whiskey.

Like most Bourbon whiskey brands, Jack Daniel's is produced on American soil. It has a predominantly corn-based mash bill, and is aged in new, charred-Oak barrels for at least two years. These are the legal terms that define a 'straight Bourbon' whiskey.

Can you call it bourbon if it's not made in Kentucky?

A: That's a common misconception. (Maybe not a bad one!) Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States. But Kentucky makes 95% of the world's bourbon supply, so there's a good reason most people associate the two.

Is Jack Daniels a whiskey or a bourbon?

Jack Daniel's is a Tennessee whiskey, so it absolutely is whiskey as well. It's even in the name. Whiskey is just the broadest term for distilled grain that's aged in oak barrels, regardless of factors such as the grains used (e.g., corn, rye, wheat, barley, rice), where it's made, the barrels used, and more.

What is the difference between blended whiskey and straight whiskey?

There are multiple types of whiskey, including bourbon, a straight whiskey made primarily from corn, and blended whiskey, a mixture of straight whiskey and other neutral grain spirits. Blended whiskey is often regarded as being of lower quality than bourbon, although some drinkers find the flavors are similar.

What's the difference between straight bourbon and sour mash?

“Sour mash” refers to a specific process used by some distillers to add a distinct flavor to their whiskey. A sour mash whiskey can actually be classified as bourbon since both types of whiskey are made under the same restrictions (51% corn in the mash, aged in new charred oak barrels, etc).

What does straight barrel bourbon mean?

This means the whiskey is bottled straight from the barrel, sometimes after undergoing a filtering process to remove bits of wood or other contaminants that might have chipped off in the barrel. The flavor is fuller, and the proof is much higher.

What's the difference between Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon?

Both whiskeys require the same corn percentage in the mashbill and must be aged in new charred oak barrels. The primary difference is that Tennessee whiskey must go through a charcoal filtering process, which mellows the whiskey's character. For that reason, bourbon is often bolder and has a more robust flavor.

Is Tennessee whiskey the same as bourbon?

Distillation: Must be distilled to 160 proof or below, put in a barrel at 125 proof or below, and bottled at 80 proof or above, same as bourbon. Extras: This is the only difference between Tennessee whiskey and bourbon. Tennessee whiskey distillers are permitted to add up to two percent of coloring and/or flavor.

What is uncut bourbon?

Uncut – Uncut means that the bourbon is not diluted with water to a lower proof before bottling. Some folks may be surprised, but not all spirits just happen to be around 90 proof. They often come from the barrel at much higher proofs, but are diluted to what most find to be a more palatable taste.

Why can bourbon barrels only be used once?

From a global perspective, ex-bourbon casks are hugely desirable, since the rules that restrict bourbon producers to using barrels just once means there's plenty of flavor left for those who come after.

What makes a true bourbon?

For a whiskey to be considered Bourbon, its mash – the mixture of grains from which the product is distilled – must contain at least 51% corn. The rest of the mash is usually filled out with rye or wheat, and malted barley.

What bourbons are not made in Kentucky?

Is Crown Royal a bourbon?

Specifically, Crown Royal is a Canadian whisky, and even though this technically uses a bourbon mashbill (64% corn, 31.5% rye, 4.5% malted barley), bourbon can only be made in America. Though the TTB originally approved the label, they reversed their decision and forced the brand to stop using the name 'Bourbon Mash'.

What is neck pour?

A neck pour refers the very first whisky poured from a bottle. This first pour from the bottle is held by many to be qualitatively different to the rest of the bottle as it has experienced far less oxidisation than subsequent pours will.

Why is Jack Daniels called sour mash?

The “sour mash” label means that some of the material from a previous distillation (called “backset”) is added to the mash to increase the acidity of the liquid (hence sour), which helps fermentation and reduces the likelihood that bacteria will ruin the whiskey.

What's the difference between straight and neat?

Some use straight to mean a white spirit chilled and served in a cocktail glass. An example of this would be chilled vodka in a stemmed glass. If the vodka were diluted with ice, it would technically be up. If, however, the bottle of vodka itself was chilled and no ice was added, it would be neat.

How do you drink Kentucky straight bourbon?

Is straight whiskey the same as single malt?

The difference between Straight Malt and Single Malt is that Single Malt Whiskey must be aged for two years, while Straight Malt Whiskey must be aged for at least five years, and both whiskeys must be aged in newly charred oak barrels.