I’m going to be brutally honest with you. Until very recently my knowledge of bourbon consisted of the following: bourbon tastes good, particularly in the form of a whiskey sour.

I’m exaggerating a little but my bourbon knowledge was quite small. Considering bourbon’s prevalence and importance in Kentucky I decided it was downright shameful to know so little. A bit of questioning among friends and associates found that there are a lot of people like myself who essentially fall into the “bourbon is good, we’re proud of bourbon in Kentucky but we don’t know much at all about it” category. So instead of just learning about bourbon for my own benefit I decided to do a series on bourbon for Consuming Louisville. You’re looking at the first article in that series: Bourbon 101.

To get myself schooled on the topic of bourbon I reached out to Jim Clayton, a Vice President of Sales with Republic National Distributing Company. Jim, besides being a heck of a nice guy, knows bourbon. He was kind enough to spend sometime educating a novice like me on what bourbon is, how to properly taste and find bourbons you like as well as the identity of America’s favorite bourbon cocktail. It was a fascinating conversation and I can’t thank Mr. Clayton enough for spending time with me and sharing his knowledge.

One editorial note, any factual and correct information in this article comes from Mr. Clayton, even if it’s not listed as a direct quote. Any inaccuracies are completely the fault of the author and her transcription or comprehension skills. Credit goes to Jim Clayton, blame goes to me. Got it? Good, let’s dive into bourbon.

A Few Facts (Be patriotic, drink bourbon!)

• Bourbon is the only American invented spirit
• While 95-98% raw gallons of bourbon are produced in Kentucky bourbon does not have to be Kentucky made, only U.S. made.
• Bourbon is made of a grain mixture that must be at least 51% corn with most being in the 60-70% range. The remainder of that grain mixture can be made of rye or wheat and malted barley. Rye is used in the majority of bourbons. When wheat is used, in Maker’s Mark for example, the bourbon has a sweeter flavor when rye is used in say Woodford Reserve the flavor is a bit dryer.
• Bourbon must be aged a minimum of two years in new charred white oak barrels. Most of those charred oak barrels are broken down and recycled, with a good percentage being used to age other spirits including Irish, Scotch and Canadian whiskies, rum and even tequila. It’s these charred oak barrels by the way that give bourbon its color. The longer a bourbon is aged the deeper the color of the finished product.
• Bourbon, by law, cannot be distilled at more than 160 proof.

Other than the two year minimum aging there are no laws or even hard rules for aging most bourbon. Master distillers and Master Distillers alone decide when a barrel of bourbon is “done” no matter the age. There are a few exceptions to that such as Pappy Van Winkle and Elijah Craig 12 year old bourbons and Knob Creek 9 year old. In general terms though most bourbons have a general age range. For example Woodford Reserve is typically aged around 5-6 years, Jim Beam around 4 years.

Most finished bourbons are the product of several barrels. A less mature barrel may be combined with a more mature barrel (or several barrels, you get my point here) to create the bourbon’s flavor profile as determined by the Master Distiller.

Enough data, let’s taste
I asked Jim Clayton about proper technique for tasting bourbon. I’m of the opinion that if the different bourbon makers go to so much trouble making sure their product has distinct flavors and characteristics the least I can do as a bourbon drinker is sample and taste several different ones. I want to be knowledgeable about bourbons yes but I also want to find the one(s) that I like best. I don’t want my brand loyalty to be by default (“this is the first bourbon I ever drank so I’m drinking it and only it forever!”) but because it’s truly the bourbon I enjoy most.

Jim advises pouring a small amount of bourbon over a couple ice cubes in a snifter. Leave it alone for a couple minutes so it can chill slightly, then slurp, yep slurp. Slurping allows the bourbon to cover your entire mouth, hitting the major taste areas in your mouth at the same time. Between tastings rinse your mouth with water so you’re starting with a clean palate each time.

Jim also says if you’re going to taste more than one or two bourbons at a given time you should slurp and spit, the first couple you try. If you’re drinking everything your senses are soon going to be softened to the subtleties and differences between the bourbons you’re tasting.

Enough tasting, let’s drink
According to Jim:
The best selection of bourbon to be found in Louisville is at Bourbon’s Bistro
The best bartender to see for a fantastic bourbon cocktail is Joy Perrine of Jacks’ Lounge
And just because I was curious I asked him what the most popular bourbon cocktail is and he said hands down its bourbon and Coke

Now a couple classic bourbon recipes from The Cocktail Chronicles (slightly modified):

Old Fashion
1 smallish sugar cube (or 1/2 to 1 tsp sugar, to taste) OR 1-2 tsp gomme syrup
2 dashes Angostura or Fee’s Old-Fashioned Aromatic Bitters
a few drops of water
2 ounces bourbon or rye (or 3-what the hell)
strip of orange or lemon peel

Place the sugar in an Old Fashioned glass, moisten with the water and bitters then muddle until dissolved (chuck the fruit peel in, if you like-I don’t). Add the whiskey, give it a quick stir, then add a big chunk of ice or two and stir again. Hit it.

Whiskey Sour
2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 tsp bar sugar

Dissolve sugar in the liquid, then shake everything well with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass, or an ice-filled whatever glass. Garnish, if you like, with an orange wheel and a cherry. Drink. Repeat.

Note: some recipes also call for an egg white. Sure, why not-just shake it with a little more vigor, unless you like that slithery quality in your drink.

I don’t know where this bourbon series will go but I’m hoping to have a conversation with Joy Perrine soon where she’ll share some of her favorite bourbon cocktails. I also hope to chat with one of these all powerful Master Distillers who truly hold the keys to the bourbon kingdom.