Why Bourbon?
Why am I always drinking bourbon? Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up with it. Teenage Chelsea at field parties really didn’t drink beer, I’m not even sure if we had a ton of beer at them, but we always had bourbon or moonshine. That’s what happens when you grow up in a “farm town” with some money. Natti Light was used for beer pong just to put something else in our cups because we weren’t wasting the good stuff. It was either a mason jar filled with homemade moonshine, captain and cokes, or just straight bourbon.
Most alcohol usually has a bad memory, like tequila, which up until recently I wasn’t even able to smell because it brought back horrible memories. Bourbon on the other hand never did. Every day my dad would come home from work, pour himself a bourbon, lit his cigar, and sit by the fire. It was a way to relax. And unlike other alcohols, I never went too far with bourbon. It was sophisticated, it was complicated, and it was enjoyable (eventually). So I guess you can say I was Raised on Bourbon.
As I got older I realized how complicated and precise the process is to even make this spirit. The timing, the exact products, the aging, hell at that point the bourbon I was drinking sat in a barrel for 10 years. This bourbon was aging and growing like I was.
Now, it’s my go-to, sit down with a glass of bourbon on ice with a splash of water. I started with Bulliet, because that’s what my dad drinks, and started to explore others. Angels Envy became my number one, Angels Envy Rye to be exact, when I realized I was missing an entire world of bourbon. It doesn’t matter the price or the aging really, every bourbon starts out the same. More expensive bourbon doesn’t mean it is better, just means there is left in the barrel to bottle, just because it is finished in a used barrel doesn’t mean it is cheating the bourbon system, and just because it’s a craft bourbon does not mean it won’t live up to the standards of a huge industrialized distillery. Every bourbon starts out the same exact way, with a mash bill that has to have at least 51% corn.
I have a couple of friends who love bourbon as much as I do, and I have some friends who look at us like we are crazy for drinking “fire”. It’s not for everyone, I get that, but you are not going to find another spirit that goes through so much history, change, and science like bourbon. Bourbon is labeled as America’s spirit, why? Because bourbon dates back to the 18th century. Our first president liked bourbon so much that he had his own distillery at Mount Vernon, It was used as currency during the American Revolutionary War. What other spirits can you say held that much value? ( You Can’t)
Like I said, bourbon is all started out the same exact way, as a grain. The grain gets cooked, it activates enzymes, those enzymes convert the starches into sugars, and yeast is added, the yeast eats the sugar and gives off carbon dioxide and alcohol. Up to this point, this is no different than brewing beer. This alcohol is then distilled, and might be distilled again to just clean it up a bit, but then will be reduced to the standard barreling proof and put into the barrels where it will sit and age. This is where it’s up to the distiller to predict what people will like in the future, do they want something with a bolder taste or something smoother like vanilla or honey notes. These distillers have a pretty tough decision, how to predict the future drinkers. Do they just charr the barrels, or do they toast them first? Do they finish them in a port barrel or Caribbean rum barrels? It’s all up to them. Personally, I love that they are finishing them in used barrels, even though some claim that it is technically not bourbon anymore. We are getting brand new flavors, diversity between these distilleries, and uniqueness between bourbons. Like I said, I love Angels Envy Rye, it has such a smooth finish, I also like Penelope Toasted Bourbon. The difference between these two is that Angels Envy Rye is matured in a New oak charred barrel and finished in a Caribbean rum barrel, and Penelope Toasted is matured in a new oak charred barrel and finished in a new toasted oak barrel. Same beginning process, a different finishing process. Still both great, and both are still bourbon.
If you are thinking about trying bourbon and it becoming a part of your drink order, be open-minded. You might need to break down your pallet wall to fully enjoy bourbon. Try everything and anything to fully appreciate this spirit.