Bourbon History Flashcards
What event in early US history fueled the transition form the popular rye whiskies of the time to corn whiskey that was eventually refined to Bourbon?
An excise tax on distilled spirits was instituted to pay for Revolutionary War debt. The farmer distillers of Western Pennsylvania refused to pay the tax culminating in The Whiskey Rebellion. In the wake of the rebellion, many relocated to Kentucky where corn was plentiful.
Which countries traditionally use the spelling “Whisky” and which use “Whiskey”?
Whisky -Scotland, Canada, Japan
Whiskey - US, Ireland
The rise of “rectifiers” in the late 1800’s who mixed neutral spirits with creosote, caramel, wintergreen, glycerin and other substances and labeled their product as “Whiskey” led to what two important federal regulations?
The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 and the Food & Drug Act of 1906 which incorporated the definition of Whiskey in 1909
What is one theory as to why Bourbon producers began charring their barrels?
To emulate the aging process used for French brandy & Cognac which were popular imports in New Orleans.
What are the three parts of the definition of Whiskey per the Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906
Whiskey had to be made from grain
A product that was all aged grain spirits was to be labeled “Straight Whiskey”
If high-proof unaged grain distillate (neutral spirits) was flavored to create a Whiskey, it had to be labeled as “blended”
