All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskeys are bourbon. I sometimes struggle with that. Perhaps, with The Bourbon Bible, it’s going to be easier for me. Ah, and to be a bourbon, it has to be at least 51% corn mash and stored in a new charred oak container. It’s becoming clearer.
And be made in Kentucky.
No. That part is different now. Much of American bourbon — that’s redundant because bourbon is American — is made in Kentucky. But, like all those gin places sprouting up, you find bourbon being made across the land. This book catalogs 140 brands from everywhere: Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, New York, Iowa, Wisconsin, Virginia, Arkansas, West Virginia, Ohio, Utah, Washington, and Missouri. Yes, very much a national beverage.
Section 1 of the book gives a detailed and entertaining history of bourbon making in this country. It’s hard to think of bourbon as a “core industrial product” but it really has been. That need to consume alcoholic beverages was a force in shaping early trade and the development of manufacturing. The stills, the barrels, the canal boats or river barges or railroads that transported the product, all those were feeders in the settlement and development of this nation.
Section 2 of the book presents one-page profiles of 140 bourbons, organized alphabetically. That’s why my list of states up there makes your head spin. Here, there, literally everywhere. There are bourbon distilleries in Brooklyn across the East River from me, and a couple in the Hudson Valley where we spend weekends. Those 140 are spread across the nation so there’s a good chance there is one near you. Tours are generally encouraged. Tastings sure are. It’s all very American.
Each profile sports a history of that particular bourbon, some new and some going back into the 1700s. There is a very descriptive paragraph on the flavor and, with the diversity of states now, you can expect that the different locals with different water and growing seasons yield a very wide spectrum of bourbon experiences. The Bourbon Bible is designed to guide you to what you like and, perhaps, to some flavor experience you haven’t expected.
You’ll also find details on the alcohol strength, mash bill [what grains in what proportions], the type of still used, distillery locations and the brand’s owner. Plus a relative indication of price.
This is one of those books to have stashed on the back seat. Don’t enter your liquor store without it. You’ll probably trigger both curiosity and conversation. And you just might discover a bourbon that you fall in love with.
And, as a benefit to all bourbon drinkers, the book has Section 3 devoted to 20 classic bourbon cocktails. Yes, the Whiskey Sour is here and the Manhattan. But you’ll find unexpected bar companions like the Remember the Maine, a combo of bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Cherry Heering.
The world of alcoholic beverages is ever-expanding with new spirit makers appearing daily. It’s fun to take these new products, add some vermouth and Cherry Heering and enjoy the blissful marriage of old and new.
I’m not kidding. Keep your copy on the back seat of the car. It’ll help in that mega-liquor store with forty brands of bourbon. And now, if you see one is made in Oregon, you can relax. Bourbon is everywhere. Just consult your bible.