Bourbon Whiskey

Bourbon whiskey is an official product of America. Bourbon whiskey was originally only produced in Kentucky therefore, for Bourbon Whiskey to be called Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, it needs to be distilled and aged in Kentucky for at least two years.

Bourbon whiskey is American whiskey, made of American grain and most often produced in Kentucky. Although actually every country can produce Bourbon Whiskey, there are some legal requirements that define the real Bourbon. A Bourbon whiskey must at least be two years old, it must contain at least 51 % corn (usually it contains 70% corn), it should not be distilled over 160 U.S. proof and it has to be aged in charred new oak barrels.

Kentucky is the homeland of Bourbon whiskey. It was in the 1700s that whiskey was first made, probably out of a necessity to store the corn that could not be eaten in time by the Kentuckians and their cattle. The whiskey based on corn was named after Old Bourbon, a county containing a river port from which much of the whiskey was shipped to the market.

The term Bourbon is only protected since 1964, when the basic elements of the Bourbon were laid out in a legal document. Currently, 99 % of Bourbon whiskey is produced in Kentucky, although there have been years that Illinois and Virginia also produced a significant amount of bourbon whiskey. The origin of Bourbon is not legally determined, so in theory anyone can produce bourbon whiskey, as long as he keeps to the rest of the restrictions.

Bourbon purists believe that only the unique limestone spring water of Kentucky is good enough for a Bourbon whiskey. Like wine, whiskey is a product with a very fine taste, and like wine tasting, whiskey tasting is an art. Although all bourbon whiskeys have the same ingredients, the taste of each bourbon whiskey is different. It varies according to the quality of the harvest, the condition of the corn’s soil, the weather. The corn is prepared differently for distilling, for example, some bourbon whiskey producers crack the corn, others roll it.

The Bardstown Bourbon Society is a whiskey society in Louisville, Kentucky, that strives to preserve the original Bourbon whiskey. At their website, they share information and they regularly award price-worthy Bourbon whiskeys. They represent some of the oldest Bourbon whiskey brands and provide information on them. For more info see www.bardstownbourbonsociety.com