Know Your Bourbon
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Written by: ValeriaKennedy
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Word Count: 829 |
Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 |
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Bourbon is a spirit deeply set in American culture. The drink evolved and developed with the history of the country, becoming the popular libation it is today. In this article we will look at a few delightful bourbons including Knob Creek, Makers Mark, Van Winkle and Four Roses, all of which can be purchased from the online whisky store Master of Malt.
The Scotch-Irish brought whiskey with them to America. Many of them settled around Pennsylvania and the Northern States. There were a great number of distillers and a heavy alcohol tax, imposed in 1791, caused a great deal of consternation. The tax, which was largely to raise government funds, was particularly hard-hitting on the small scale producers ? larger scale distillers, George Washington included, received a flat tax rate.
The taxes were so high many distillers struggled to survive. Small scale civil protest developed until 1974, when armed rebellion broke out. After this, the US Government, for the first time since the US Constitution, used military force against its own citizens. These riots were known as the Whiskey Rebellion. Several men were imprisoned and two of the men were given death sentences, though these were repealed by George Washington on the grounds of one being a ?simpleton? and the other being ?insane?.
The tax eventually forced the distillers to flee to the southern states. A number of the distillers settled around Kentucky, where they benefited from the 1779 Cabin Rights and Corn Patch Law - a law which allowed any man to have 400 acres of land so long as he used it to grow maize and built a house upon it. Farmers quickly filled the state, and it was not long before they learnt that distilling the corn to produce whisky was a far more profitable practice. They began to ship the whiskey down the various waterways, including the Mississippi river which took the corn spirit to New Orleans.
One plot, which covered much of what became Kentucky, was named Bourbon County in honour of the French Royal Family. The barrels originating here were stamped with their place of origin: ?Bourbon County?. Punters enjoyed the corn-based spirit, oft requesting some more of that ?whiskey from bourbon?. So it was born.
Well, that is why bourbon is a corn-based spirit. It is interesting to learn of the affects that corn has on the final flavour. In America, the selection of grains used for distillation is known as a Mashbill. There are four main grains used, including corn, which must account for at least 51% of the mashbill. Corn imparts earthiness, a mellow body, spice and gentle sweetness. On example of these flavours is a small batch bourbon produced at the Jim Beam Company called Knob Creek. Knob Creek is matured for 9 years and is named after the place that Abraham Lincoln grew up. The bourbon has toasty oak and spice on the nose with caramel which develops into a full-bodied palate with nutty, spicy notes.
Another grain used in the production of bourbon is rye. It is a hardy grain which brings lots of spice to a whiskey, along with pepperiness and dark fruits. It is a full-bodied grain which is easily detected in Four Roses bourbon. Four Roses is matured for around 5 to 6 years. There are notes of thick, dark manuka honey alongside shades of spice and caramel.
Rye is occasionally replaced with wheat by some distillers. Wheat is a much softer grain, which imparts a smooth body and a sweet flavour. A delicious wheated bourbon is Makers Mark, a small batch bourbon. Small batch is a term created by Jim Beams Booker Noe, and it refers to bourbon produced on a very small scale. Makers Mark offers notes of honey and coffee and sweet oak.
The fourth and final grain used in bourbon production is also used exclusively in the production of single malt Scotch whisky. Barley is easily grown in much of America and was originally brought to the country by the Scotch and Irish settlers. Barley brings notes of cereals and biscuity overtones with a good depth. Van Winkle 12 Year Old is a very biscuity, buttery bourbon with mature, gentle notes of smoky honey. Van Winkle 12 is an exquisite bourbon distilled at the Buffalo Trace distillery.
These are all great examples of the character that different grains used in bourbon production have to offer. It is well worth sampling the aforementioned whiskeys, whether they be the nutty, toasty Knob Creek, or the deep, spicy Four Roses, the gentle Makers Mark of the cereal, biscuity-rich Van Winkle 12, they can all be purchased online from the Master of Malt.
About the Author
Newton Tiangco has been tasting malt whisky for over 20 years. One of his favourites at the moment is Tomatin whisky, a single cask single malt whisky.
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