Of all the kinds of spirits people regularly drink, various types of whiskey likely arouse the most excitement and devotion. Fans of Scotch, for example, will often happily spend hundreds of dollars on one bottle of single malt, finding in the complexity and depth of the liquor things no other libation can offer. America’s own characteristic spirit, bourbon, has just as much to boast of, too, as one visit to a Liquor Store like the one online at Townecellarswines.com will show.
To be called bourbon, a spirit must be distilled from a mash that includes at least fifty-one percent corn by weight. While some bourbons add quite a bit more corn to the mash bill, most will include at least a bit of barley, as well, to be sure that enzymes necessary for turning starches into sugar are present. Beyond that, more or less all modern bourbons focus on either wheat or rye to fill out the rest of the recipe. In the former case, the resulting liquor will tend to be relatively dry and clean, with rye making the finished spirit a good bit spicier instead.
While the mash makeup is one part of what makes bourbon so distinctive, there is another factor that is at least as important. By law and regulation, spirits called bourbon must be aged in charred oak barrels that have never previously been used for another purpose. As a visit to a well-stocked Liquor Store will show, just how long this aging happens for, however, is left up to each producer in most cases.
The two main exceptions are relatively commonly seen on store shelves. A bourbon described as straight must meet all the other requirements while also being aged for at least two years. The absence of this adjective is fairly uncommon to see, but will often indicate an especially young spirit. Another common form of bourbon is known as bottled in bond, with any & liquor of this kind being aged, by law, for at least four years. In addition, it must also be produced from a single distillation season and be put into bottles at exactly one hundred proof. You can also connect them on Facebook for more updates.
