About Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

The thrifty Scotch-Irish farmers of the Kentucky Territory of colonial America used everything they grew. Rather than lose a bushel of corn to spoilage, they invented a process to ferment and distill it to create a uniquely American spirit. Today, this liquor---95 percent of which is still produced in Kentucky---has become one of the world's favorite whiskeys. Third and fourth generation distillers are developing new ways and discovering old ones---like small batch Bourbon---to make a better product.

Identification

Small batch bourbon is made slowly with carefully chosen oak barrels. Rather than bottling Bourbon from a single barrel or from a large batch comprised of many barrels, a few barrels are combined into a batch that is bottled and labeled with an individual batch number. Small batch Bourbon is generally not diluted with water to make a standard "proof" and thus has higher alcohol content, generally from 120 to 160 percent (60 to 80 proof), than large batch Bourbon. The barrels for the small batch are individually chosen by the distiller for their quality and some small batch makers do not filter their Bourbon, making a darker, richer finished product.

History

Bourbon whiskey had its beginnings in territorial Virginia in a county named for the ruling family of France, the new nation's ally in the Revolutionary War. Farmers used leftover silage corn instead of wheat or rye, the customary grain used for "mash." When the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 took a toll on distillers in other western states, the distillers in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee were able to build a thriving, unregulated industry built on corn instead of wheat. The "moonshine" whiskey that these mountain folk produced evolved into the refined whiskey that we know as Bourbon.

Significance

Prohibition brought commercial distilling to a halt in 1920. Except for the smugglers, who brought liquor in from Europe and the "moonshiners," whose quality was unpredictable at best, Americans did without their favorite cocktails until 1933. The American whiskeys, Bourbon included, produced in the 1930's were hurried, unimpressive spirits and regained popularity only gradually. By the end of the century, however, distillers were rediscovering old methods of producing fine Bourbon. The small batch method is the method used before Prohibition and produces some of the finest whiskey in the world.

Misconceptions

Bourbon is not moonshine. Moonshine is un-aged Bourbon. The oak barrels, charred on the inside, that are used to hold Bourbon as it ages, give the clear distilled product its unique golden brown color. Small batch Bourbon is aged for at least six years and most of it is rich amber to nut-brown in color with the unfiltered brands very dark indeed.

Expert Insight

Small batch Bourbon is a rich, sweet whiskey better tasted straight and in moderation, hence the name "sippin' whiskey." Bourbon drinkers are a picky lot who will argue the virtues of various brands. Like Irish and Scotch whiskey, each brand is unique. The taste of small batch Bourbon varies with the distillery, the percentage of rye used in the "mash" and whether or not the finished product is filtered.