BOURBON 101

presented by BEN SHELLHORN • SEPTEMBER 2011

 INTRODUCTION

TA S T I N G G U I D E

PA R T 1 : B E E R
• Fermentation
• Ingredients

PA R T 2 : B O U R B O N
• Definition
• Law
• Distillation
• Localization
• Aging
• Mash Bill

CONCLUSIONS
& QUESTIONS

BOURBON
W H AT I S B O U R B O N ?
• American Whiskey
• Mainly Corn
• Aged in oak

BOURBON
 LEGAL DEFINITION
• Must be a US product
• Must be 51%+ corn
• Aged-at least briefly-in new American oak
• Distilled to no more than 160 proof
• Introduced to oak at no more than 125 proof
• Bottled at no less than 80 proof

AGING & LABELING

• Bourbon meeting the above requirements and aged 2 years,
may be called STRAIGHT bourbon
• Bourbon labeled Straight must label its age if less than 4 years
• Labeled age must be the youngest bourbon in the mix
• Blended bourbons may have artificial coloring & flavors

LEGAL DEFINITION
 I N T E R N AT I O N A L W H I S K E Y
All bourbon is whiskey
Not all whiskey is bourbon

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
 D I S T I L L AT I O N
Starts with a fermented
grain beverage
(think beer)

Fermented beverage is
t h e n “d i st i l l e d ” t h ro u g h a
still
(think boiled)

Distilled beverage is
purified/distilled again
and aged in oak

DISTILLATION PROCESS
DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Start with Grain

DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Mill the grain

DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Create Mash

DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Ferment the Mash

DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Distill the Fermented
Beverage

DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Result:
U n a g e d C o r n W h i s ke y

DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Age the Bourbon

DISTILLATION PROCESS
 Bottle the Bourbon

DISTILLATION PROCESS
B o u r b o n g e t s i t s n a m e f r o m B o u r b o n C o u n t y, K Y

H o w e v e r, n o B o u r b o n i s c u r r e n t l y m a d e i n
B o u r b o n C o u n t y, d u e t o t h e r e d r a w i n g o f c o u n t y
lines over time

In 1964, Congress recognized Bourbon

as a distinct cultural product

LOCALIZATION / HISTORY
A l l A m e r i c a n W h i s ke y i s a g e d i n c h a r r e d n e w
American oak.

Can be aged for a short period of time (Hudson

W h i s ke y s ) o r a l o n g e r p e r i o d ( P a p p y Va n W i n k l e
23 year)

O a k b a r r e l s a r e o f t e n r e s o l d t o Te q u i l a , R u m o r
S c o t c h w h i s k y m a ke r s .

AGING
Mash bill is a top secret for master distillers.

G e n e r a l l y, m o s t b o u r b o n s a r e a b o u t 2 / 3 c o r n

R y e W h i s ke y s m u s t b e 5 1 % + R y e

C o r n W h i s ke y s m u s t b e 8 0 % + C o r n

Remaining grains can be anything else

MASH BILL
P R E S E N TAT I O N BY
BEN SHELLHORN

SOURCES
A M E R I C A N H O M E B R E W E R S A S S O C I AT I O N
B R E W E R S A S S O C I AT I O N
CRAFTBEER.COM
MORGUEFILE.COM
WIKIPEDIA.ORG
W I L D W O O D B B Q TA S T I N G N O T E S
BREUCKELEN GIN

AVA I L A B L E O N L I N E
PA R T 1 ( B E E R ) : h t t p : / / w w w . t i n y u r l . c o m / 3 p s 8 v v d
PA R T 2 ( B O U R B O N ) : h t t p : / / w w w . t i n y u r l . c o m / 3 z c y x n z

CONCLUSIONS