What is Bourbon? A Look at the basics and some misconceptions.

Bourbon is the hottest selling brown spirit right now. It is growing in popularity all over the world and more of it is being produced now than ever. You may have seen your favourite movie character talk about it. Some of your friends may already be in to it and are trying to get you to try it. But what is Bourbon? This is a very simple question and one that also has a lot of misconceptions. This post will talk about the legal definition of Bourbon and some of the misconceptions about this spirit and the biggest misconception of all. I hope that this post will help you better understand the spirit and help you make an informed decision. 

Bourbon must be made in Kentucky

Some people may claim that for a Whisky to be considered Bourbon it has to be made in Kentucky. This is wrong. This misconception about Bourbon having to be made in Kentucky is due to the fact that Kentucky produces over 90% of the world's Bourbon. A lot of the best Bourbons are also made in Kentucky, but for a spirit to be called Bourbon it only has to be made in the USA. Kentucky is also considered the birthplace of Bourbon - some argue that the word Bourbon came from Bourbon county Kentucky where distilling this spirit allegedly first began. Kentucky also has some of the major bourbon distilleries in the world - Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey etc. The concentration of major bourbon producers in Kentucky has been attributed to the rich limestone water that flows through the Ohio river. Some also say that Kentucky has the most ideal weather to make the best bourbons. Whatever it is, for some reason, Kentucky bourbons are usually better than bourbons from other places. This however does not mean it has to be made there for it to be called Bourbon. 

Bourbon is America's native spirit - this is not just some melancholic phrase but it has been codified in the US congress since 1964 when a resolution was passed declaring Bourbon as "America's Native Spirit". This also means that no whisky can call itself Bourbon unless it is made in the US.  

Bourbon has to be aged for at least 2 years.

Another very common misconception about bourbon is the claim that it has to be aged for at least 2 years. This is also wrong. Bourbon does not have a minimum aging requirement in the regulation. The 2 year aging requirement is for a whisky to call itself "Straight". So when you see two bottles, one having the label "Bourbon Whisky" and the other having "Straight Bourbon Whisky", the main difference is the minimum age. The "Straight Bourbon Whisky" is at least 2 years while the "Bourbon Whisky" can be as young as 1 day.  This may come as a surprise to many people who are new to bourbon and may turn some people off. Scotch needs to be aged for at least 3 years so Scotch must be better? That is up for debate and one I will not cover here. Although bourbon does not have a minimum age requirement, most of the major bourbon distilleries age their whisky between 4-6 years minimum. Most craft distilleries try to hit the 2 year mark to call itself straight. Some however release very young bourbons and that is allowed. 

Some people (those who think older is always better) might find this concerning, because a lot of bottles on the shelves today do not have any age statement. Is there any way for me to know how old the whisky is just by looking at the label? Fortunately there is. 

Chapter 8 - Statement of age of the TTB regulation talks about the requirements to have an age statement on the bottle. The regulation requires Bourbon Whisky to have a specific age statement if the whisky is less than 4 years old. If we go back to our example earlier where one bottle is labeled "Straight Bourbon Whisky" while the other one is label only as "Bourbon Whisky". If both of them do not carry an age statement then you are guaranteed that they are both at least 4 years. The fact that one bottle is labeled "Straight" and the other not is due to other regulatory requirements of "Straight" whisky other than age. Some distillers may try to hide their age by not saying it but the regulation gives you a clue on how to determine the minimum age. 

Bourbon has to be aged in American Oak Barrels.

There are two parts to this misconceptions. First part is that it has to be American oak. Although it is the norm to use American Oak to age bourbon, the regulation does not specify the type of oak to use in storage and aging. It became the norm because it was the most widely available in the USA making it cheaper than exporting European oak. 

The second part is that it has to be stored in barrels. We all have this image of bourbon warehouses filled with barrels of aging whisky. We do not see whisky being aged in oak boxes so how can I say it is a misconception? Because the regulation does not specify barrels. All it says is oak containers. Barrels are used for two reasons. First it is easy to move bourbon when it is in barrels rather than boxes. You can roll the barrels from one location to another instead of carrying it. Second, and most importantly, the shape of the barrel allows it to create a water tight seal that does not require nails or glue. This is the most important part because for you to have a water tight box, you need to use either nail or glue which might seep into your whisky during aging. Barrels create a water tight seal without the need to use nails or glue which is perfect if you want your whisky to have contact with wood only during maturation. 

So what is Bourbon?

Chapter 4 - Class and Type designation of the TTB regulation talks about the basic definition of bourbon. 

Whisky produced in the U.S. at

not exceeding 80% alcohol by

volume (160 proof) from a

fermented mash of not less than

51 percent corn and stored at not

more than 62.5% alcohol by

volume (125 proof) in charred

new oak containers

Isn't that beautiful? Very simple and precise. When you see a bottle of "Bourbon" you know it met these basic requirements. Notice how this beautifully written statement debunks those misconceptions I mentioned earlier? All it says is stored, no statement about for how long. All it says is stored in new oak containers, no mention of American Oak or Barrels. All it says is that it has to be produced in the U.S, no mention of Kentucky. The simplicity of the definition makes it easy to understand yet its popularity makes it prone to misconception. 

The biggest misconception of all.

Before I end this post, I would like to talk about one more misconception you will encounter a lot. This misconception has nothing to do with what bourbon is or how it is made. It has something to do with how it is enjoyed. When you start your whisky journey, a lot of people will tell you that if you are not drinking it neat, you are drinking it wrong. Some so called "whisky enthusiast" will tell you that drinking bourbon neat is the only way to drink bourbon. That is all just snobbery. 

This is my personal rule for drinking bourbon - Drink your bourbon the way you like it. This however requires an important question to be answered. How do you know how you like your bourbon? The answer is by trying it in different ways. When I introduce people to bourbon, I always have them try the 80 - 90 proofs first and always encourage them to try it neat but to add water if the proof is too much. It is important to show people the different ways to drink bourbon and how it affects their experience and let them settle on the way they like it best. In short, there is no one correct way to drink bourbon. Drink it the way you like it.