Bourbon Flashcards
Who helped create the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897?
Senator E. H. Taylor
What are the requirements of being Bottled-in-Bond?
- The whiskey being aged had to be kept in a locked (bonded) warehouse for 4 years
- Be the product of one distillery from one distilling season
- Be bottled at 100 proof
- Must come from one distilling season
Under current TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) what are the only ways to manipulate Bottled-in-Bond products
- Cut with water
- Filtering
- Chill filtering
Can Bottled-in-Bond be used on products outside of the United States?
No, but it can be applied to American Spirits
What are legal requirements for Bourbon Whiskey?
- Must be made with at least 51% corn
- Must be distilled at an abv no exceeding 160 proof (80% abv)
- Must be stored at no more than 125 proof (62.5% abv) in charred new oak containers
- Must be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof (40% abv)
What is the mash bill of bourbon look like?
- At least 51% (many high-quality bourbons use as much as 70%)
- The rest is usually rye, malted barley, or wheat
What is sour mashing?
It is the process of adding the ‘basket’ back in the fermenter for use in the next fermentation batch.
The basket is very acidic which is need to balance out the local alkaline water so that the yeast can work properly
What types of stills are used in the production of Bourbon?
Either Pot or Column stills
How many times is Bourbon generally distilled
2 or 3 times
What does the first Bourbon distillation take place in?
Either pot stills or a single column still composed of copper or stainless steel known as a beer still
What does the second Bourbon distillation take place in?
Either a doubler or a thumper
Describe how a doubler works?
A doubler is an addition to a pot still that continuously receives the condensed low wines from the first distillation. The low wine is then driven to a chamber that contains heat liquid, causing an interaction that both concentrates (doubles) the alcohol and refines unwanted congeners
What is a thumper?
A thumper is a type of doubler that receives the vapors from the first distillation run before they are cooled and condensed. As the vapors enter the thumper, they are driven into a layer of hot water at the base of the thumper.
The water is kept at a temp. above the boiling point of water, but above ethanol, so the ethanol vapor continues through the water for condensation as high wine or new-make spirit.
In this process the heavier alcohols (tails) are captured by the water and drained off at the end of a run.
Is there an ageing requirement for Bourbon?
There is no legally mandated minimum ageing requirement. So some bourbons are only aged for 2 or 3 months, but many high-quality Bourbons are aged for two more years
Can you add anything to Bourbon to give different colors of flavors?
Usually, the time spent in oak is what adds flavors and color to the bourbon. However there is the exception of bourbons labeled as blends.
