What is bourbon?
Bourbon: American whiskey, mostly corn, aged in new charred oak barrels.
- Category
- Spirit
- Taste
- Vanilla, caramel, toasted oak. Sweeter than rye.
- Strength
- About 40-50% ABV
- Similar to
- rye (spicier), aged rum
The story
It's probably named after Bourbon County, Kentucky (or New Orleans' Bourbon Street, where much of it was sold). In 1964 Congress declared bourbon "a distinctive product of the United States."