Bourbon vs Whiskey

Good morning friend!

Frequently I am asked what is the difference between whiskey and bourbon, so today I thought I would talk about the differences with you. So pour yourself a nice old fashioned and lets chat.

First lets start with the basics…. ALL bourbon is whiskey, not all whiskey is bourbon.

Whiskey is a spirit that is made with fermented grains (rye, corn, wheat, and barley). Bourbon is one of the types of whiskey, however there are some more rules when it comesto the process of making the bourbon that allow it to be classified as that. To be a bourbon the whiskey must be made from at least 51% corn, be at least 80 proof, be made in the US, and be aged in a NEW charred American whiteoak barrel. Bourbons are generally smoother then whiskey, and the majority of the time tends to be a bit sweeter then whiskey due to the high amount of corn used to make it.

Straight Bourbon is a style of bourbon that has even stricter standards that must be followed. A straight bourbon has to be aged for at least two years, and if itisless then four years the bottle must say so.

FUN FACT: Since the US requires the standard of new American white oak barrels for our bourbon barrels. They can only be used once, so many distilleries will sell their used barrels overseas to other countries that will then use the barrels for their spirits.