History of Bourbon Flashcards
When was distillation discovered?
2,000 years ago by alchemists who first began distilling water
Where did whiskey come from?
Ireland and Scotland, then went to Canada and Japan
Where were the early colonial American distillers come from?
Central Europe
What did early British settlers primarily make?
Rum
What is the alchemical Latin name for alcohol?
Aqua Vitae
When are the earliest records of alchol?
1400s - alcohol consumption in Ireland
1494 - malt sent to a friar to make aqua vitae
Where did the word “whiskey” come from?
Latin: aqua vitae ->
Gaelic: uisce beatha ->
whiskey
What are the suspected origins of barrel aging?
Scottish & Irish smugglers attempting to evade being taxed would have appreciated the lighter and more durable barrels as containers
How was distilling & whiskey viewed in the Revolutionary War era?
Distillers were pillars of the community and rye whiskey was the “patriot’s drink” because it was indigenous
What was the reason for the Whiskey Rebellion?
The US imposed an excise tax on distilling to repay debts from the Revolutionary War. Farmer-distillers in W. Pennsylvania refused to pay the tax.
Which past president owned a distillery?
George Washington built one at Mt. Vernon. After retirement, his distillery would become the largest rye distillery.
What were some of the early whiskey developments after the Revolutionary War?
Scotland: government eased legal distilling regs and tightened enforcement on illegal; storage in 2nd hand barrels from wine & sherry
Kentucky: corn-based bourbon was new
Canada: blended became norm
America, France, Canada: storage in toasted or charred barrels (hybrid of brandy technique)
What were early nicknames of bourbon because of barrel aging?
red liquor
Monongahela
What 2 things cemented whiskey’s place in the world?
steam power - allowed production of lots of mild flavored whiskey that mellowed pot-distilled whiskey when blended as Scotch and people it liked more
phylloxera - destroyed cognac industry; tastes switched to whiskey
When was Prohibition?
After World War I
What was the impact of Prohibition?
No one could import to America
Americans couldn’t transport within the country or export it
US production and sales plummeted
After, no aged American whiskey was left and Scotch & Irish hadn’t recovered
What was the impact of World War II?
Production at distilleries shifted to industrial alcohol for chemical feedstock.
Describe major negative events on the whiskey industry of the 60’s and 80’s.
60’s - consumers preferred vodka & light rum
80’s - Whiskey Loch - glut of Scotch caused crash
What happened in the 80’s that turned things around for Scotch?
Release of single malts, led by Glenfiddich but also indies like Gordon & McPhail
What caused turnaround for bourbon?
Maker’s Mark growth - smooth, wheated
Blanton’s creation - single barrel
Booker’s creation - unfiltered cask strength
What helped Irish whiskey survive?
By 1966, all remaining distillers had consolidated. Then reformulated as lighter, blended whiskey.
How long ago did malting occur?
Sumerians left records from 4000 BCE describing malting in Mesopotamia
How old is evidence of rye as a grain?
500 BCE
Who brought rye grain to North America? When?
Germans in the 1700’s
