Bourbon whiskey
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Bourbon-bottle_from_Gettysburg.jpeg
The name derives from Bourbon County, Kentucky, which was itself named after the French royal family at the time of the American Revolutionary War. A concurrent resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1964 restricted bourbon to U.S. production. Some stories about its origins there are not true, such as its purported invention by Baptist minister and distiller Elijah Craig.
A refinement introduced by Scottish chemist Dr. James C. Crow was the sour mash process, by which each new fermentation is conditioned with some amount of spent beer (previously fermented mash that has been separated from its alcohol), in much the same way that sourdough bread is made from starter. The acid introduced by using the sour mash controls the growth of bacteria that could taint the whiskey. As of 2005, all straight bourbons use a sour mash process. Crow developed this refinement while working at the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery (now the Woodford Reserve Distillery) in Woodford County, Kentucky.
Curiously, when thinking about bourbon, many people first think of the brand Jack Daniel's, which is of the similar Tennessee style, and not technically a bourbon because it goes through the Lincoln County Process. Almost all bourbons are distilled in Kentucky, and it is often said that only Kentucky whiskey can properly be called bourbon; this is, however, not true, as those few exceptions to the rule demonstrate. As of today, there are no running distilleries in Bourbon County.
An act of the U.S. Congress in 1964 declared bourbon to be "America's Native Spirit," i.e. America's official drink.
See also: Corn whiskey, Rye whiskey, Scotch whisky, Canadian whisky, Moonshine.
Some modern bourbon distilleries and brands
- Buffalo Trace - Kentucky
- Ancient Age
- Blanton's
- Eagle Rare
- Elmer T. Lee
- George T. Stagg
- Van Winkle
- W.L. Weller
- Corner Creek
- G & W
- Brown Forman - Kentucky
- Early Times - Kentucky
- Elijah Craig - Kentucky
- Evan Williams - Kentucky
- Ezra Brooks - Kentucky
- Heaven Hill - Kentucky
- Jim Beam - Kentucky
- Labrot & Graham
- Maker's Mark - Kentucky
- Old Charter
- Pernod Ricard (Austin Nichols division) - Kentucky
- Rebel Yell
- Seagram - Indiana
- Ten High
- Virginia Gentleman - Virginia
- Kentucky Gentleman
External links
- Woodford Reserve (Brown Forman) (http://www.woodfordreserve.com/)
- Old Forester (Brown Forman) (http://www.oldforester.com/)
- Wild Turkey (Pernod Ricard) (http://www.wildturkey.com/)
- Jim Beam Brands Small Batch Bourbon Collection (http://www.webcorp.com/smallbatch/brands.htm/)
- Jim Beam (http://www.jimbeam.com/)
- LeNell's Wine And Spirits Boutique, New York's biggest bourbon selection (http://www.lenells.com/)
- The Whisky Guide (http://www.thewhiskyguide.com/)nl:Bourbon (whiskey)