Which Whiskey and how is it made? Part 1 Bourbon: divine intervention or happy accident?
Bourbon was first made by Reverend Elijah Craig. As one story goes, he prayed to God for better whiskey and lightning struck the white oak barrels sitting in his back yard, charring the center. Once Reverend Craig discovered this unique change in his barrels, he used them to store his whiskey. The charring turned the previously white liquor to a brown color with a sweet, woody flavor. Another less interesting version of the story states that he charred the barrels to sanitize them before shipment. Apparently, old fish barrels don’t give the whiskey a good taste or smell. I prefer to think that that God gave us bourbon, but you can choose to think what you will.
More importantly, how is bourbon made?
A Congressional Resolution in 1964 declared bourbon the official “American Spirit”. America’s Spirit, like most other things, is regulated by the government because of jerks who messed things up. Traders would accept home distilled bourbons that didn’t quite make the cut. The traders would sweeten it with cherry juice or honey, improving the taste for resale. However, previously mentioned jerks tried to make it stronger by selling it laced with gasoline and formaldehyde, which caused blindness and several other health issues like death. Bad, right? Because of this, by law, there are five rules or “keys” according to Stitlzer-Weller distilling to making bourbon. The first rule states that bourbon can only be produced in the United States. It can be produced anywhere in the United States, not just Kentucky. However, Kentucky does produce more than 90% of the world’s bourbon.
The second rule is that the mash bill must contain at least 51% corn but can also contain wheat, rye, and barley. A mash bill is the percentage of ground up grains that are used for the fermentation process. This is important because this is how the alcohol is produced and I think we can all agree, we like alcohol. Once the mash is cooked it becomes sugar. When yeast is added, it eats the sugar and poops out the alcohol. I made this poop discovery a brewery tour of all things and, of course, I giggled like a little girl. Childish, I know, but poop is funny. Once the yeast gets things moving, it turns the mixture into distillers’ beer. This is essentially beer without the hops, but it tastes terrible, very sour. This process takes one to five days and the distillers’ beer must be kept between 70F and 95F to ensure that the yeast doesn’t die. After all, we need it to keep making that wonderful yeast poo (last one I promise).
Fun note – distillers use the same yeast over and over again to ensure flavor consistency. The yeast is heavily guarded by the distilleries and often kept in several secret secure places throughout the country to ensure its safety. Before modern security, the master distillers themselves would carry a jar of yeast home every night. This ensures that if the distillery is destroyed, they can rebuild and continue producing bourbon with the same delicious distinct flavor. Jim Beam has been using the same yeast for 75 years. If that strain were to die, we would never enjoy Jim Beam as we know it again.
The third rule is that the bourbon cannot be distilled at over 160 proof and must enter the barrel at under 125 proof. The distilling process takes the distillers’ beer, heats it until the alcohol turns to vapor, and, then collects the vapor. The first time it is distilled, it is called low wine. Low wine unfortunately cannot be consumed, as it still contains several chemicals that are harmful. As previously stated, blindness and death are bad. To prevent these pesky side effects, the low wine is distilled again, turning it into high wine. High wine is a clear liquor also known as white dog or white lightening; this is the good stuff. Keeping the proof below 160 during distilling allows the high wine to maintain the flavors from the mash. If it were distilled above 160 proof it would be a mostly flavorless liquor like Vodka. If the high wine is above 125 proof, the distiller can only add water to bring down the proof before it goes in the barrel. At this point the liquor can be drank but has not matured to yummy bourbon yet…
The fourth rule turns the liquid from the clear high wine to the bourbon we all know and love. Bourbon must be aged in new, charred, white oak barrels. The barrels are charred to bring out the sugars in the wood, adding the brown color and the sweet flavors. Typically, they are kept in buildings called rick houses with little to no climate control. Throughout the year, the heat pushes the bourbon into the wood in the barrel and
the cold pulls it back out, gaining the sweet sugars and woody flavors from the wood. This process gives bourbon much of its taste and all of its color. Typically bourbon is aged in still houses for at least four years. During aging 25% or more of the bourbon in the barrel evaporates, which is called the angels’ share. I don’t know about you but this gives me motivation to live a good life; I would enjoy spending my after life in the Pappy Van Winkle still house.
The fifth and final rule is that the bourbon must be bottled at 80 proof or higher. This is the final process before it is shipped off for you to enjoy. The only thing that can be added to the bourbon at this point is water to lower the proof.
Next step is for you to buy your bottle. Some different statements to look for on the label include “single barrel” meaning that it came from a single barrel rather than a mix of several. If it is labeled as “cask strength”, it means that the bourbon has no added water to lower the proof. If it is labeled as “straight bourbon” it has been aged for less than four years. The last thing is that any age statement on a bottle has to reflect the youngest bourbon used if it’s a blend.
All of the fancy bourbon regulations were not created until years after Reverend Elijah Craig made that first, wonderful batch of bourbon. Honestly, I don’t care if bourbon was an accident, divine intervention, government regulation, or a happy combination of all. I am just excited that I get to safely enjoy today’s delicious bourbon. Cheers and enjoy your bourbon!
Which Whiskey and how is it made? Part 2 Rye: Copycat with a twist