Bourbon

What makes bourbon different to whiskey ? Short answer: corn, charred new oak, and time. (Contrary to popular belief, being made in Kentucky is optional.) Bourbon must be made with at least 51% corn in the mash (with rye and barley typically filling out the remainder), distilled to no more than 160 proof (allowing for more flavoring congeners to remain in the distillate), barreled at 125 proof, and bottled at minimum 40% ABV. Bourbon doesn’t technically have any aging minimums—bourbon that touched charred new oak for 45 minutes could be sold legally. Thankfully, much bourbon is aged much longer than that. “Straight Bourbon” is basically legally compliant bourbon that’s also been aged for 2 years (if it’s aged less than 4 years, it has to have an age statement on the bottle, so a straight bourbon with no age statement is at least 4 years old).