Today you can visit the bourbon distilleries and learn about their rich histories, the scientific way they craft their spirits and even pick up special bottlings from their gift shops.
Or you can visit a mix of the two and intersperse a few thoroughbred farm visits along your way. Reservations are required. Tim Knittel is owner of Distilled Living, a bourbon education and specialty events company. He is a former bourbon industry insider with more than seven years in the industry, including as the culinary center general manager and specialty bourbon educator for the Woodford Reserve Distillery.
He is also an Executive Bourbon Steward often compared to a Bourbon Sommelier which is the highest certification for a bourbon education professional. Get inspired by everything there is to see, do, explore, eat, drink, and enjoy here in Lexington. Additional Contact Information. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. By Tim Knittel on Jul.
What, Exactly, is Bourbon? A conversation between you the reader and Tim Knittel. I thought all bourbon came from Kentucky. Great question. The answer is part history, part geography. This new location caused two changes to the whiskey recipe.
This was the first golden age of bourbon. Subscribe to our newsletter for events, fun content and resources to help plan your trip to Lexington. I would agree although some younger whiskeys can be really surprising and interesting , but the price of a bottle also definitely agrees. Keeping a whiskey for longer means more risk for the distillery. Things can go wrong and they can lose a valuable batch of whiskey.
To mimic an older whiskey, some distilleries add caramel coloring to the whiskey. While it sounds like something to pour over your ice-cream, it actually is something that is cooked so heavily that it ends up tasting bitter instead of sweet.
I know right, this does not sound like something I would want to add to my whiskey. However, caramel coloring is near impossible to taste and only affects the color. If caramel coloring is used, it does not have to be mentioned on the label. This makes the subject a bit controversial, as caramel coloring can hide a poorly aged whiskey. Scotch whisky, as well as Canadian, Irish and other American whiskeys are allowed to use Ea and do not have to state if and how much they have added.
The reason why distilleries use the coloring is to keep the color of different batches consistent. Another reason is because consumers associate a darker colored whiskey with a higher quality. Bourbon casks are only allowed to be used once, after which they are sold to the rest of the world including Scotland.
When the cask has not been used before, the effect of the wood is way stronger compared to a cask that has been in use for decades. Again, compare it to a tea bag. The first tea — I mean whiskey, will be way darker than the second, third or even fourth batch. This is one of the reasons that a 10, 12 or even 20 year old Scotch can still be pretty light in color. The other reason has to do with the climate in which the whiskey is aged.
Most distilleries use Levels 3 and 4. Several seemingly insignificant elements about where and how bourbon is stored have a significant impact on its color, including:. The higher the barrel entry proof , the lighter bourbon will be. And since water dissolves natural sugars from the oak barrel better than alcohol, higher barrel proof leads to less color and lighter flavor.
Higher barrel entry proof has become the standard since the limit increased from to in Barrels stored on their sides in rickhouses get plenty of air circulation around their sides and ends—which leads to faster and more flavorful aging. This also allows the bourbon to have more access to the thickest parts of the barrel the staves , which can lead to a darker color.
Barrels stored vertically on pallets age slower because of decreased airflow with so many barrels packed onto a pallet. They also have more access to the barrel heads which are much thinner and have less impact on color.
This gives bourbon its flavor and color. The longer bourbon ages, the more time it has in the charred oak barrel, and therefore the darker it usually becomes. True bourbon and straight whiskey cannot be artificially colored or contain any additives.
That corn gives bourbon its distinctive sweet flavor. Bourbon also must be aged in new charred oak barrels, and cannot include any additives or colorings. Other whiskeys can be aged in barrels previously used to age other spirits, and they don't necessarily need to be whiskey barrels—port, sherry, and rum casks are used in the aging process for non-bourbon whiskeys. To be designated "straight bourbon whiskey," bourbon has to have been aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years.
When bourbon is barreled, it also has to hit a certain proof, or alcohol content in the spirit. The mash must be distilled at proof or 80 percent alcohol by volume or less, and aged in barrels until it is no more than proof Before bottling, bourbon is filtered and diluted down to no less than 80 proof 40 percent alcohol by volume.
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