Kentucky and bourbon, bourbon and Kentucky. There isn’t much else more synonymous with the Bluegrass State than the brown spirits. From visiting the Bourbon Trail to getting a bottle for bourbon mixed drink recipes, bourbon is a Kentucky staple.
In order to be categorized as bourbon, the spirit must be made in the United States, however does bourbon have to be made in Kentucky? The brief response is no, according to Melissa Rift, master taster at Old Forester.
” Bourbon does not have to be made in Kentucky,” Rift tells Southern Living.
Does Bourbon Have To Be Made In Kentucky?
No, bourbon does not require to be made in Kentucky, but it must be identified properly.
” If another country wants to make a spirit that is by meaning a bourbon, but is not made in the USA, it can not use the term bourbon on the label,” O’Donnell tells Southern Living.
What Is Bourbon?
Bourbon is a type of scotch that is made from corn. All bourbon is bourbon, but not all scotch is bourbon. Bourbon is considered a design of bourbon, and Rift offers a simple way to remember it.
” Whiskey is a family tree, and bourbon resembles a family member,” she explains. “So with great deals of various kinds of spirits, you have rules and policies of what specifies that spirit and then you have subcategories within it that are styles and types– and family members– of that spirit.”
When it concerns whiskey, bourbon has some of the most strict parameters. O’Donnell adds that to be categorized as a bourbon, the whiskey should stick to these rules:
made in the USA
made from at least 51% corn
aged in new (virgin) white oak barrels
distilled no higher than 160 evidence
get in the barrel at no greater than 125 proof
free of additives
What Is the Difference Between Bourbon and Kentucky Bourbon?
O’Donnell says that to be called a Kentucky bourbon, it needs to be made in Kentucky.
“That implies the whiskey was made in Kentucky, follows all the bourbon laws, and is aged for a minimum of two years. After four years, Kentucky Straight Bourbon does not need to have the age on the label.”
Rift says that correctly labeling bourbon bottles is controlled by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB.
” Anytime you’re putting something on your label, whether it’s bourbon scotch, straight bourbon scotch, straight Kentucky bourbon whiskey, those policies are kind of examined by the TTB,” she says. “If you were to say Kentucky bourbon and you in fact made and aged all of your products in Indiana, then you would get dinged by the TTB.”
Why Is So Much Bourbon Made in Kentucky?
When it boils down to it, environment and history are the reason behind the production of scotch in Kentucky.
“The first settlers of Kentucky were skilled in protecting grains– specifically corn– and distilling their remaining harvest,” O’Donnell describes. “These early settlers began to make scotch in the design of bourbon as early as the late 1700s in Kentucky.
To this day, the cold winters and hot summer seasons of Kentucky together produce a perfect aging situation for bourbon.
“As bourbon ages, it counts on the temperature and humidity to give it both its stunning color and wonderful flavors of vanilla and honey,” O’Donnell states.