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April 18, 2005
Kentucky Bourbon
Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey is purportedly the invention of a Baptist Minister in Kentucky in the early 1800's! Considering his denomination's aversion to alcohol, I find this slightly amusing! Anyway, Kentucky Bourbon is officially, in law, 51% Corn, and 49% Rye and other grain - oh, and it has to be brewed in Kentucky!
A 2,500 gallon copper "pot still" used to distill the raw whiskey from the fermented "liqour".
This particular distillery has three of these stills lined up, but makes a limited range of connoisseur whiskeys. The distilled liqour is clear in colour as it leaves the still, and it is then placed into new oak barrels, the insides of which have been charred. This brings out the natural sugar in the wood as a sort of caramel and it is this which then colours and flavours the whiskey. The casks are stored in a warehouse for six, eight, ten, or twelve years, the seasonal variations in temperature also aiding the process of aging and flavouring as the whiskey is forced deeper into the wood or drawn out of it by the changes in temperature.
One of the problems in this process is the fact that a certain amount of the whiskey is lost through evaporation as the wood is impreganted with the liquor. The original 52 gallons per barrel soon reduces to around 48 gallons for a mature cask. Generally, the longer it lies in the cask, the richer the colour of the whisky and the smoother the taste.
The atmosphere inside the warehouses and the distillation plant itself is probably on the richer end of the flammability range - not the place to light up a quiet cigarette!
And the product itself? Definitely an interesting flavour, a bit richer and a little fuller than some of our Scottish or Irish whisky (or whiskey!) flavours, but certainly pleasant to drink - but carefully, this stuff is strong!
Posted by The Gray Monk at April 18, 2005 09:44 PM