Happy 4th of July to our friends in the United States of America!

What is bourbon? A guide from The Whisky Exchange

What is bourbon? That’s Jack Daniel’s, right? Whiskey? Something to do with rye? Well, yes to all three, actually. Very simply, bourbon is a mixture of grains, ground up, mixed with water and heated, fermented with the help of yeast, distilled, then aged in oak barrels.

All very simple. But are bourbon and American whiskey the same thing? No. One way to remember is that all bourbons are whiskeys, but not all whiskeys are bourbons. American whiskey includes sub-categories including bourbon, straight bourbon, rye, wheat, malt, rye malt and corn, each with its own set of rules. For example, corn whiskey must be made with at least 80% corn; the grain mixture (‘mash bill’) for rye whiskey must be a minimum of 51% rye, and so on. But all American whiskeys have the following in common:

• they must be distilled at no higher than 80% ABV
• they must be matured in charred, new oak containers (with the exception of corn whiskey, which can be stored in used or uncharred barrels)
• the ABV of the whiskey must be 62.5% ABV or lower when it enters the cask.

The four main grains used in bourbon. Clockwise from top left: wheat, barley, corn, rye

The grains

Corn The main ingredient in bourbon, corn must make up at least 51% of bourbon mash bills; in practice, it makes up about 70%. When the spirit is very young, the corn flavour is very noticeable, but mellows with age, although the sweetness will persist.

Rye Delivering peppery spice and power, rye is the most characterful of all grains used in bourbon production. Typically, rye normally makes up 10% of the mash bill, but ‘high-rye’ bourbons, such as Four Roses Single Barrel, are higher, up to about 35% rye.

Barley Used primarily because it is so effective at converting fermentable starches to sugar, barley is the workhorse ingredient, and usually makes up 10-15% of the mash bill.

Wheat The opposite of rye, the addition of wheat will make the resultant spirit softer and smoother, and – because wheat’s inclusion will usually be at the expense of rye – sweeter. In practice, wheat rarely makes up more than 10% of the mash bill.

How is bourbon made?

The grains are ground up then added to a large ‘mash cooker’ along with water and cooked for 30 minutes, to break down the starch into fermentable sugars.

The mash is then transferred to a fermentation tank along with a small proportion of ‘sour mash’, spent mash from a previous distillation which helps get fermentation going, a similar effect to a yeast ‘starter’ used when making sourdough bread. The finished product is a beer-like substance with an ABV of around 6-8%.

The liquid is then distilled twice; the first time in a column still to approximately 50-60% ABV, then a second time, this time in a copper pot still, up to roughly 70% ABV. The new-make spirit, known as ‘white dog’, is transferred to new, charred, white-oak barrels (almost always American, but French is also permitted).

Bourbon categories

Straight bourbon If you see the term ‘straight bourbon’ on your bottle, you know that the liquid has been aged in new oak for a minimum of two years.

Single barrel Single-barrel bourbons are always worth trying, given that the vast majority of bourbons are made by mixing (or ‘vatting’) dozens or even hundreds of barrels to ensure consistency of flavour.

Small batch Any bourbon bearing the words ‘small batch’ on the label could be a batch of 10 barrels or 10,000. In practice, the vast majority of small-batch bourbons will not be a marriage of hundreds of barrels, and more importantly, the reality is that extra care and attention is placed on these bottlings.

You will often hear people tell you that Jack Daniel’s is not a bourbon, as it undergoes the Lincoln County Process – that is, filtered through maple charcoal, which actually removes flavour rather than adding it, so technically it is allowed to be called ‘bourbon’. You won’t find the word anywhere on the label, though, as the company chooses to describe it as Tennessee whiskey.

How do you drink bourbon?

Bourbon is a highly versatile spirit, and can be drunk neat, mixed and served long. There are also a number of iconic bourbon cocktails, such as the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Whiskey Sour – so it’s a great idea to have a bottle in your drinks cupboard. Oh, and despite some of the headlines you might see, there’s no such thing as the best bourbon – it’s all down to your personal taste. So, if you find an entry-level bourbon you prefer to one twice the price, no problem!

Bourbon facts

• there are more barrels of bourbon in Kentucky than there are people
• the first-ever single-barrel example was Blanton’s bourbon, released in 1984
• Buffalo Trace, founded more than 200 years ago, is the oldest continuously running distillery in the US
• 75% of all Kentucky bourbon is made by Jim Beam
• 95% of US bourbon is made in Kentucky.

1792 SMALL BATCH BOURBON AWARDED “BEST OF CATEGORY”

AT 2016 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS COMPETITION

Four Barton 1792 Distillery bourbons receive medals 

            BARDSTOWN, kENTUCKY (June 30, 2016) – 1792 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was awarded “Best of Category” at the 2016 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. An additional four medals were awarded to bourbons from Barton 1792 Distillery.

            These spirits were ranked among 401 spirits that were submitted from a total of 29 countries.

Bourbons earning medals include:

Gold Medal

• 1792 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Kentucky Tavern Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Flatboat Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

            Silver Medal

• Zackariah Harris Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

            The Los Angeles International Spirits Competition was formed in 2007, with an esteemed panel of judges using a blind-tasting method to award medals to the best distilled spirits from around the world.  The award-winning entries will be displayed during the Los Angeles County Fair, Sept. 2 – 25, in “The Wine, Beer & Spirits Marketplace.”

            Complete results of the 2016 LAISC are available at www.laspiritscomp.com/.

About Barton 1792 Distillery

Barton 1792 Distillery is part of Barton Brands.  Barton Brands has facilities in Bardstown, Ky., Carson, Calif., and Baltimore, Md. Barton Brands is owned by the Sazerac Company, an American family-owned company based in New Orleans, La. Barton 1792 Distillery was established in 1879 and continues today as the oldest fully-operating Distillery in the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” The Distillery is located on 196 acres and includes 28 warehouses, 22 other buildings, the Morton Spring and the Tom Moore Spring.  Distilling, aging and bottling fine Bourbon whiskey are hallmarks of the historic Barton 1792 Distillery. 1792 Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey is produced at Barton 1792 Distillery. This whiskey is named for the year Kentucky became a state and is the recent gold medal winner at the 2015 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. To learn more visit www.1792bourbon.com/.

Bag one of these new batches!

It’s going to be a big week with the Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 3 limted edition and Aisla Bay Batch 2 from Girvan Distillery both available to order at The Whisky Shop. These new batches are highly sought-after so don’t wait around or you’ll surely miss out!

Free delivery available on all orders over £75 Next day delivery available

The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 3

The much-anticipated annual release from the Balvenie Distillery, Tun 1509 marries together casks hand-picked by Malt Master, David Stewart MBE, to create a unique expression that possesses those familiar Balvenie characteristics that made previous batches so popular. A whisky of “rich complexity with elegant oaky notes and dried fruits balanced by mellow cinnamon spices and ginger,” as Stewart describes it. “It also has lovely layers of vanilla oak, rich woody spices, dark fruits and a definite sherry character interspersed with elegant honey.”

£280 Buy Now

Ailsa Bay Batch 2

This second batch from Girvan Distillery is a uniquely balanced single malt whisky that refuses to be defined by its geography. A Lowlands expression with a beautifully precise smoky:sweet ratio, this dram defies the traditional Scotch Whisky Region classification. An intense nose with smoky phenol notes balanced with creamy honeyed sweetness followed by smoky bacon. The palate has a zingy, peaty kick and layered sweetness with crispy rashers and a touch of maple syrup, while the finish is big and lingering.

£59.99 Buy Now

Rare Cask Reserves Ghosted Reserves 21 Year Old

William Grant & Sons’ Rare Cask Reserves line presents this 21 year old blended Scotch that contains some very exclusive whisky from long closed distilleries such as Ladyburn, Inverleven and Dumbarton. Inheriting fresh fruity notes from the Dumbarton grain components, light oaky notes and hints of floral blossom from Inverleven, while Ladyburn adds its unique robust flavour profile.

£120 Buy Now

Arran tasting – island life

The island distillery of Arran was the inspiration for our latest TWE tasting, hosted by sales manager Louisa Young. Although it was only founded relatively recently – in 1995 – Arran is well known among whisky drinkers, and is currently planning to build a second distillery on the island. We tried five whiskies from Arran’s core range, and the extra treat of choosing our favourite from two cask samples, the winner of which will be bottled as a TWE exclusive later in the year.

The distillery

In Their Own Words – Louisa Young

‘Our founder, Harold Currie, was a bit of a character. While chairman of St Mirren Football Club, he got a phone call in the middle of the night from the new manager, who said he didn’t think he could do the job – it turns out that manager was Sir Alex Ferguson!’

‘When Arran distillery was built in 1995, there were not that many small craft distillers at the time. But now in Scotland, it seems that every single day there’s a new distillery trying to get planning permission’

‘We’ve put in planning permission for a second distillery on Arran, in the far south of the island, where we want to make a heavily peated spirit. And if we get it, it would take the number of distilleries on Arran to two!’

‘“Scotland in miniature” is how Arran is described. Down in the south of the island, it’s like the Lowland region, while up north, it’s more barren with fewer people living up there’

‘Our Cask Finishes range are very popular. We get our Sauternes casks from Suduiraut, our port casks from the Symingtons, and our Amarone casks from Allegrini’

‘Our current distillery manager is from Islay, which might explain why the peating level of our Machrie Moor went up a bit’

WE TASTED

• Arran 10 Year Old – clean and fruity, with peach, melon and orange to the fore
• Arran 14 Year Old – beautiful balance between elegant fruit and rich toffee and sponge cake
• Arran 18 Year Old – spicy Seville oranges, stem ginger, nutmeg and toffee
• Arran Port Cask Finish – clean and refreshing, with just a hint of red-berry fruit
• Arran Machrie Moor (6th Edition) – peated to 20ppm with a kick of bonfire smoke along with a zingy, citrus kick

We then moved on to two Arran cask samples. Both were tasted blind, and – in a TWE first – the voting couldn’t split them. Both whiskies received 17 votes each, so the likelihood is that both will be bottled as TWE exclusives! The first, a 1997 aged in a refill sherry cask, was exceptionally clean and fruity, with plenty of apple, lemon and red-fruit notes. The second, a 2002 matured in a first-fill sherry cask, was bigger and richer, with Christmas-cake spices and savoury notes of cardamom and coriander seed. Keep a look out for them towards the end of the year.

BEST #TWETASTING TWEET

Excellent peaty #whisky 20ppm @Arranwhisky Machrie Moor great balance sweet & peat also in cask strength #twetasting pic.twitter.com/Ob1K7a5gIP

— L E O (@leomcauliffe) June 21, 2016

WHISKY OF THE NIGHT

For me it was the 18 Year Old. The classic Arran fruitiness given extra depth with rich spiciness.

ARRAN 18 YEAR OLD, 46%

Nose: Big, rich aromas of nutmeg, toffee, stem ginger and Seville oranges, with an added note of grilled banana.

Palate: Mouthfilling texture, zingy and spicy, with orange oil and ginger, with a smooth layer of toffee that adds richness.

Finish: The rich fruit and spice linger.

Comment: Absolutely delicious – the fruit and spice are beautifully balanced.

Thanks to Louisa for being an excellent host, and we look forward to trying the whiskies from Arran’s second distillery, which will be heavily peated – very different from the typical Arran style.

You can see the full range of Arran whiskies available at The Whisky Exchange here.

HAPPY CANADA DAY, eh?

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #135

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries a new Dutch single malt. Dutch single malt? That is not something you see every day. DenHool is triple distilled from summer barley grown by a Dutch famer who has now installed his own equipment. The whisky matured on bourbon casks and PX sherry casks and is a surprising treat.

https://youtu.be/8Fh4HIqcm6Y

Malts for the Collector’s Cabinet

This week we are bringing you some of our favourite collector’s items in our range. With single malts from Talisker to Ladyburn and everywhere in between, there is something for all tastes.

Free delivery available on all orders over £75 Next day delivery available

The Macallan 30 Year Old

This 30 year old expression from the Macallan Highland distillery is described as “heady and aromatic” and as with all the Fine Oak series, it is matured in a combination of both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks. Showcasing a lighter style of Macallan than the Sherry Oak series, with more distillery character coming through, this expression is bottled at a strength of 43% abv.

£1,850 Buy Now

Ladyburn 1974 40 Year Old The Whisky Shop Exclusive

Hailing from Scotland’s shortest-lived distillery, this 40 year old is one of the rarest malt whiskies in the world. Built on the site of William Grant & Sons’ Girvan grain distillery, Ladyburn produced malt whisky for less than 10 years from 1966 to 1975 before being demolished. One of the last remaining casks from Ladyburn, Cask 89/199 No.74 was filled in 1974 and aged in the warehouses at Girvan until its 40th birthday on 21st November 2014. This Whisky Shop Exclusive is limited to only 157 bottles.

£2,597 Buy Now

Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1992 Single Cask The Whisky Shop Exclusive

Hand-selected by The Whisky Shop and Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, this expression was chosen to celebrate the founding of The Whisky Shop in 1992. The very first release from the Glenfiddich Rare Collection, this single cask is available exclusively from The Whisky Shop and is limited to only 200 bottles. Matured in a refill bourbon cask distilled on the 13th March 1992, bottled at 55.6% abv. This whisky really shows off the Glenfiddich distillery character, with lots of sweet, fruity notes with apple and pear and just a hint of oak and spice.

£1,200 Buy Now

Tobermory 42 Year Old

Only 650 bottles of this limited edition Island Single Malt have been produced by the Tobermory Distillery of Mull. Presented in a striking box with a rotating door that reveals the bottle with a backdrop of the famous Tobermory harbour painted by Angus Stewart and containing some of the first spirit to be made at the distillery when it reopened in 1972, this expression is sure to make a welcome addition to the discerning collector’s cabinet. For those who open the bottle, intense sherried whiffs of tobacco smoke, liquorice, chestnuts and cocoa powder await. The taste is rich and luxurious with dark chocolate, coffee and spicy dried black fruits, while the finish is long, dry and spicy.

£2,500 Buy Now

Talisker 1953 24 Year Old Connoisseur’s Choice

While Queen Elizabeth II was crowned this Single Malt was being distilled on the shores of Skye. This amber toned whisky was matured for 24 years and bottled in 1977 at 43% abv. The nose is reminiscent of Winter on the shores of Skye with seaweed, pepper and some saltiness. The palate has maritime pepperiness running through with salt, phenol and some suppressed chili spice notes. The finish is medium long with salt and pepper aspects being revealed.

£3,000 Buy Now

Glenfarclas 1994 The Whisky Shop Exclusive

Bottled exclusively for The Whisky Shop and limited to only 1200 bottles, this expression from the family-owned Glenfarclas distillery is our very own award-winner! Scoring an impressive 95.5 in the 2016 Jim Murray Whisky Bible, this Speyside Single Malt received the coveted Liquid Gold Award. The nose has intense layers of sultanas and dessert wine, the palate offers juicy grape, toasted oak, sauternes and marmalade, while the finish is medium with notes of cocoa and vanilla.

“…not far off God’s gift to present day sherried malt whisky” – Jim Murray

£84 Buy Now

Ardbeg Dark Cove

A deliciously dark expression from the Islay distillery, this limited edition was released to mark the end of Ardbeg Day during the 2016 Islay Festival of Music & Malt. Matured in ex-bourbon and dark sherry casks, this expression harks back to the days of illicit stills and whisky smugglers hoping to avoid the notorious Excise Men. The nose entices with dark chocolate, rich treacle toffee and distant bonfires, while the palate is smouldering with charcoal and wood polish, with raisins and dates emerging from the shadows. The finish is long and spicy with cured ham and squid ink noodles lingering.

£110 Buy Now

June auction is now LIVE!

Our latest auction is now live and will end on Tuesday 5 July.

Yet again, there’s a strong selection of Japanese and Scotch whisky. From Japan, we have many vintages of Karuizawa, some very rare Hanyu Card Series bottlings, including the Joker Monochrome, as well as Yamazaki 1990 Sherry Butt.

We also have 27 Manager’s Dram bottles; they were never released for sale but only given to members of staff – look for the missing one in your collection. For peat lovers, we have a fantastic lot: 11 bottles of Bruichladdich Octomore from 01.1 to the first 10 Year Old bottling, while fans of sherry-matured whisky can bid on four great vintages of Glenfarclas from the 1950s.

And once again there is a strong line-up of miniatures: Macallan 1975 Fine & Rare with a very rare neck label, Macallan Private Eye, a few Cadenhead’s sets and many more. Good luck with your bids!

• Ardbeg 30 Years Old
• Bunnahabhain 1968 Auld Acquaintance
• Caol Ila 1978 Samaroli
• Glendronach 1971 & 1972
• Glenfiddich 40 Years Old – Bot.2002
• Glenlivet 1946 – 40 Years Old G&M
• Johnnie Walker Directors Blend 2009, 2012 & 2013
• Karuizawa 1968 Whisky Live Taipei 2012
• Macallan 1989 Fine & Rare
• Macallan Private Eye
• Old Fitzgerald Bot.1970s

You can bid in two ways: either increase the highest bid by a fixed amount, or place your maximum bid straightaway – ideal if you can’t be online on the last day of our auction. Be the first to bid!