Bourbon

Buying and gathering the right kind of bourbon can be hard. Here, we will break down the difference between whiskey and bourbon, and how to taste it.

Mash

Mash is an elaborate way to say a recipe of corn, rye, and malted barley that are shared with heat & water to make a mixture.

Fermentation process

Fermentation is the process when the sugars from the mash are cracked down by yeast and make carbon dioxide and alcohol. This takes a limited number of days and after something is fermented, it will get distilled.

Distillation process

The distillation process is to detach the alcohol from the water by boiling the alcohol. Because water has a high boiling point than alcohol, the mixture formed from the fermentation process can be heated to excerpt alcohol.

What is the difference between whiskey & bourbon?

The definition of Whiskey is a spirit distilled from the fermented grain mash, aged in wood barrels. That means that this “mash" is formed, fermented to make alcohol, and then distilled to detach the alcohol & water and make the early stages of whiskey. After all that, it is put into wooden barrels to age until it is matured and aged. Some whiskeys are done in a second barrel that may have earlier held wine or rum, which changes the flavour. Often, the whiskeys are cooled before bottling. There are a group of whiskeys, but the most popular whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon is constantly whiskey but whiskey is not always bourbon. In order to be measured as one of the members of the bourbon club, whiskey wants to pass a few tests. Initially, it must be made from at least 51% corn mash bill. The whiskey must be purified to no more than 160 proof and should be put into the barrels in no more than 125 proof. The latter requirement is that it must be aged in any new oak barrel

History of bourbon

Bourbon has a sturdy connection to the South and Over the last ten years, bourbon has become progressively popular. Bourbon is a delightful and complex flavoured spirit and is supple enough to be served in a whiskey glass, over ice, which is cut with water or assorted into cocktails. Versatility at its premium.

Different categories of bourbon

There are six categories of bourbon

They are

• single barrel
• cask strength
• wheated
• high rye
• high corn and
• small batch

Single Barrel

Single-barrel bourbon is more clearly defined and self-explanatory as it is a whiskey that has been bottled from one barrel rather than a blend of several. These bottles of bourbon come from a barrel and they are not mixed with any others. Flavours will be diverse from barrel to barrel within a similar brand of single-barrel bourbon as the number of pieces of wood, char, and conditions in which a barrel was allowed to age will change.

Cask strength

These are the big-time bourbons that are packed in a punch but are identified as being some of the most flavourful in the world. Before bottling, bourbons are cut with water to get to the distiller's proof. Cask-strength drinkers will sometimes cut their pours with some drops of water to get it to their own flavour favourite. Since these come traditionally from the barrel, there inclines to be a spice-forward palette and char from the barrel.

Wheated

These are a type of bourbon where distillers use wheat as the minor ingredient in the mash bill. This makes a lesser spicy, lesser sour, and lesser floral taste. These bourbons are characteristically known for being nutty and very soft on the palette.

High rye

The core ingredients of bourbon are corn, barley, and rye. Old-style recipes tend to have 10% rye but a few bourbons go for a bold, spicy flavour by going beyond that 10 percent.

High corn

To be a Bourbon, it must be at least 51% corn according to rules. But a few workaholics go beyond that. These bourbons are recognized for their sweet flavour. In spite of the sweet flavour, these bourbons are not to be disordered with corn whiskey, which is a diverse and separate category of whiskey.

Small batch

Technically there is no real definition of what a small-batch bourbon really is. But it is an increasingly familiar term now in the big world of bourbon. Basically, it is a bourbon produced by mingling up a very small number of selected barrels. Compared to a distiller’s flagship jug which could contain a bourbon combination from hundreds or thousands of barrels, this will give a distiller more freedom to try. In a leading club of their own, smaller batch bourbons are produced in very fewer quantities and the distiller will often note the batch or the barrel number on the bottle.