How to Make Bourbon

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By Heidi Braley
eHow Contributing Writer

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(41 Ratings)

Fine Bourbon Served in Crystal Glass

Sipping a little smooth bourbon is a nice ending to a day of hard work. Knowing a little about this Kentucky whiskey making process will add to your enjoyment of the alcoholic malt beverage. Of course, the average citizen cannot make Bourbon in their own home like they can with beer and wine. Not only is this a challenging project - it is illegal in the U.S. and you would have to move to Kentucky for it to be called Bourbon. This is a simple explanation of a rather complex process for the curious in mind.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

A Mixture of Corn, Rye,Barley and Wheat

Measure your grains, usually in the following ratio: corn 70%, rye 10%, malted barley 10%, and wheat 10%. Wheat makes the whiskey softer and suppler on the tongue.
Step 2

Special Spring Water from Limestone Wells

Grind the mixture of corn, rye, wheat and malted barley to a rough grind about the texture of course sand. Add the special extra soft spring water and combine to make a slurry.
Step 3

Cook the Slurry into a Mash

Cook the grain and water slurry for about a half an hour until it becomes a hot mixture called a mash. Allow it to cool down so it won't kill the yeast cells.
Step 4

Bourbon Yeast

Add the yeast into the mash after it has cooled down to approximately 25 to 30°C, in a fermenter in which a beer with approximately 9-10% ABV will develop.
Step 5

Bourbon Fermenter Tank

Bubbling alcoholic fermentation the yeast will convert the sugar to alcohol and CO2 and at the same time heat is produced. The fermentation usually lasts three days and an alcohol strength of approximately 9 to 10% is reached.
Step 6

Column Distiller Used in Making Bourbon

Distill the beer type brew using a column distiller. The column distiller will achieve an alcohol content at the top of approximately 120 American Proof (60 Vol.% alcohol). If the columns are higher, the alcohol content can still be further raised.
Step 7

Toasting the Bourbon Barrel

Toast your barrels. This step is different from other malts and gives the Kentucky Bourbon its special taste. The white oak barrels are held on one side still open over a small fire. This procedure is called ‘toasting’ and leads to the wood sugar in the staves being caramelized. This reddish layer is later also visible when cutting a stave. The toasting procedure lasts about 12 min.

After the toasting procedure the barrel is submitted to a still stronger fire treatment. It is burned out from the inside with large flames for 6 to 12 seconds. The barrel thus receives a thick charcoal layer on the inside.
Step 8

Finished Bottle of Bourbon

Fill the toasted barrel with the liquor and store it on its side for a predetermined rate of time at a controlled temperature. These are secret details of the trade, but generally bourbon is kept for at least two years in the barrels. Later it is removed and bottled into a multitude of different kinds of containers and released for sale.