Bourbon Whiskey

by Bernie Lubbers

  Storage while aging has developed differently at each distillery, and each master distiller or warehouse manager has his/her own opinion about it. Some use brick rack houses and others use wood-and-tin construction. Some use four-story rack houses that are 12 barrels tall and others prefer nine-story rack houses standing 27 barrels tall. Maker’s Mark rotates its barrels the old-fashioned way. Four Roses only uses one-story warehousing. Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve use brick rack houses. There are as many ways to age the liquor as there are ways to make it, and one way is not necessarily more correct or better than the other; they are all just different. Although if you ask one of the distillers, he might say his way is better … I just love the pride in this industry.

  Barrels resting at Heaven Hill Distillery (photo courtesy of Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.)

  Bernie the bourbon thief?

  The atmospheric pressure in the rack house and location of the barrels make barrels age differently from top, to middle, to the bottom of the rack house. It’s very hot and dry at the top of the rack house—think of it as being just like your attic. So the barrels on the top floor start out at 125 proof and will rise all the way up to 145 proof (or more) due to evaporation during the aging process. Barrels on the bottom floor, however, where it is moist and cool, will have the alcohol and water molecules interact. Those barrels start out at 125 proof and will go down in proof to 115 or so. The middle of the rack house is where the temperature is the most consistent, so the barrels will stay around the 124 to 128 range. Confusing? Well keep in mind that the bourbons on the outer parts of the rack houses will get more heat than those on the inside.

  Where do you pull the barrels from after aging? From one floor in the rack house? From all floors? How much from each floor? Do you rotate the barrels? Do you just use a single-story rack house? Are you discovering that generations of experience passed down from distiller to distiller really comes in handy here? That’s why distilleries talk about their family lineage and experience all the time.

  Distilleries used to rotate barrels as standard operating procedure. Maker’s Mark still rotates its barrels, but as the number of barrels has increased for everyone, the practice of rotating has been replaced by letting the barrels rest, and then taking a cross section of barrels from the top to the bottom, and left to right diagonals.

  Distillers also found out that by rotating the barrels, the barrel bung would dry out at the top of the barrel after a couple years, and by rotating it and rewetting the bung, they lost another 1% or 2% angels’ share. That translates into thousands of gallons of bourbon we could all be sipping here instead of passing it on to the angels through evaporation.

  Each distiller has a different opinion on the optimal age for their bourbons. Baker Beam (Baker’s Bourbon) says that after seven years you’ve gotten everything out of the barrel you can, and it’s the perfect time to dump the bourbon. Fred Noe says that number is nine years for his Knob Creek, and you’ve really hit the wall at 12 years. Bill Samuels says between five and six years. He ages by taste, not years. Julian and Preston Van Winkle age their bourbons from 15 to 23 years. Parker and Craig Beam age the Elijah Craig bourbon 12 to 18 years. Remember, my dad thought that six years was the perfect time. Jimmy and Eddie Russell like between four and five years, but they like to distill and barrel at very low proofs, the old-fashioned way. If all bourbon tasted the same, it would be a boring category of whiskey indeed. But thank God they all do have a different opinion.

  Great Whisk(e)y Debate with Dan Tullio (Canadian Club) and Simon Brooking (Laphroaig/Ardmore)

  Another way to age whiskey that’s a lot quicker is the Lincoln County Process that Tennessee whiskies employ. Many people think that Jack Daniels is not a bourbon because it’s made in Tennessee. This is not true. Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States. But Jack Daniel never wanted to make bourbon. Back in the 1860s was a dangerous time to live, and people didn’t want to wait six years for a bourbon to age when they didn’t know whether they’d be alive in six days. So they found a way to speed up the aging process.

  They burned the maple trees that grew around their distillery and then took the charcoal that was left after burning and piled the ashes and char in a 10-foot column. Then they took the white dog and put it in this column and let it slowly drip, drip, drip through all that charcoal. After a good six or seven days of dripping through all this charcoal, they’d put it into a new charred barrel. This process is called charcoal mellowing, not filtering. This adds flavor to the whiskey. That’s why Jack Daniels has the smoky quality that Tennessee whiskey drinkers like. If you spent a week in a vat of charcoal, you’d taste a little smoky, too.

  Small-batch and single-barrel bourbons are typically aged longer than main line Wild Turkey, Jim Beam and Evan Williams. Some people think that scotch is higher quality than bourbon because it is aged 10 years or more, but that’s not true. Keep in mind that every year a barrel of whiskey is aged in Kentucky is equivalent to about four years in Scotland. The average temperature in Scotland is 55 degrees, so they aren’t getting the variety of temperatures we’re getting, and they are not using a brand new, charred-oak barrel on top of that. They are using one of our once-used bourbon barrels, so they have to age it longer. I’m not saying our bourbon is better than scotch or vise versa; I’m just explaining the differences. Each distiller in Scotland or Kentucky uses their experience and geography for what’s best for their whisk[e]y. That’s also why scotch tastes so good. Every drop of scotch has some of our bourbon in it!

  They did a test a few years ago. Jim Beam sent a barrel of bourbon to Scotland to age, and the Laphroaig Distillery sent a barrel of scotch to Kentucky to age. It turned out that the switch just didn’t work. Both tasted below par, proving that bourbon and scotch need to be aged in the environment and landscape of where they are distilled.

  I had the great opportunity to visit Scotland, and it was a magical experience. I visited the Dalmore Distillery in Inverness, Laphroaig on the Island of Islay, and then the Ardmore Distillery, home of Teacher’s Blended and Ardmore Single Barrel, in Aberdeenshire. The highlands of Scotland really resemble Kentucky. Both places are basically the same size geographically and population-wise (around 4.5 million). Both are known for excellent water and whisk[e]y making, and both are full of excellent whisk[e]y men and women who are extremely passionate about their craft.

  Although I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like to, I’m lucky to call John Campbell at Laphroaig and Alistair Longwell at Teacher’s my colleagues and friends. But I do get to work with, debate, and drink good whisky with Simon Brooking, their global ambassador. If you ever get the chance to see any of these whisky men, by all means do!

  A WORD ABOUT RECIPES OR GRAIN BILLS

  Bourbon flowing from the barrel in the dump floor (Jim Beam is a registered trademark of Jim Beam Brands Co. and is used with permission.)

  By far the most frequently asked question that I get is “What is the recipe for your bourbon?” Some people seem to want to know the exact percentage of barley, rye and corn that we use. It’s a question that every distiller and ambassador has been asked. A couple distillers will just tell ya straight out. Maker’s Mark is 70% corn, 16% red winter wheat and 14% barley malt. It’s right up on the wall at the distillery on a chalkboard. That’s pretty damn cool. Maker’s Mark just makes one recipe. Other distilleries have two or more different recipes for their bourbons. Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace don’t reveal their different grain recipes. It’s a family secret, if you will, and that’s pretty damn cool, too. I mean, do you think you could discern that one bourbon could possibly be “better” than another simply because it had 1.5% more rye or corn than another? And would that make a big difference over four to 12 years of aging in a barrel?

  No one ever asks what the grain bill is for a single malt scotch, do they? That’s because there is only one recipe, and that’s 100% barley. And there are over 90 distilleries in Scotland producing the same recipe in the same wh
isky. It depends on where that distillery is and how that location affects the whisky in production and during aging. The size and shape of the still has an effect on the final product as well. But everyone wants to know the exact percentage of grains in bourbon and then pretend that this combination defines what is, in their own head, a “good bourbon.” I think that’s ludicrous. I personally think that some people just don’t know what to ask, so that seems to be a good question, especially in front of a group of people.

  Now that being said (and I’m glad I got that off my chest), a considerable change in the percentage of grains can have an effect on a bourbon. In studying bourbon and being around all the distillers, I have concluded (and I’m not the first one to conclude this, but it’s an “aha” moment when you get to this point) that there are only three (that’s right, three) recipes in all of bourbon. From this I’ve put together the following “chart.” This chart is based on information from articles and books I’ve read and distillers I’ve talked to. It shows what you can learn when you read Whisky Magazine, Malt Advocate, The Bourbon Review, Liquor.com, straightbourbon.com and books on the subject.

  Corn is what gives bourbon its signature flavor and is considered the “engine” that provides the highest yield of alcohol per bushel of all the grains. The flavor of corn is very prevalent fresh off the still in the white dog. But over years of aging, corn becomes neutral and lends mostly in the overall sweetness to the finished product.

  Barley is prized mainly for its enzymes that convert starches to sugar for the fermentation process so the yeast can feed on the sugars. Where corn is the “engine,” malted barley is considered the “work horse” that delivers these enzymes. Barley provides some of the underlying malty and chocolate notes, along with some dryness. Usually around only 5-12% of any grain bill, barley is mainly used for those enzymes, and not so much for flavor, but it does gives the bourbon that biscuity texture.

  Rye and Wheat contribute most significantly to the flavor of mature bourbon. They are referred to as the “flavoring grains.” Any grains can be used, like oats or rice, but these two are the only ones used, with rye being the dominant flavoring grain with distillers.

  Rye brings a range of spice notes including pepper, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon, which are all intensified during the aging process. Think of eating a piece of rye bread. Rye gives bourbon that wonderful flavorful “bite” that it is known for.

  Wheat results in a sweeter-tasting bourbon, but not because the grain is sweeter. Wheat is not as rich as rye, so it allows more of the sweetness of the corn and vanilla to show through, compared to rye, which can overshadow some of those sweet flavors.

  THE THREE RECIPES OR MASH BILLS IN BOURBON

  •Traditional Bourbon Recipe—70-80% corn, balanced with rye and some barley. Think of a sweet-and-spicy, back- of-the-tongue experience. *This is my term for this, not the industry’s, but I think it describes it well since the next two are accepted terms in the industry.

  •High Rye Bourbon Recipe—20-35% rye–dials back on the corn and keeps the same amount of barley as a traditional bourbon.

  •Wheat Bourbon Recipe (or simply referred to as “Wheated”)—70-80% corn–similar to traditional, but replaces the rye with wheat. Wheat allows the sweetness of the corn and the sugars from the barrel to be more pronounced. Think “soft and sweet,” with a front-of-the-tongue experience.

  BARRELS AND AGING

  The recipe is the soul of the bourbon, and the barrel and aging provide varying flavors depending on how long it is aged, the type of warehouse and the location of the barrels inside the rack house. Barrel aging is responsible for 50% to 75% of the final flavor of a bourbon. Smaller barrels (five gallon, for example) have the advantage of getting a lot of color and flavor quickly. The disadvantage of a small barrel is that oxygen never really gets into the barrel to work with the spirit well, and shorter aging means not many confection notes like vanilla, caramel or toffee.

  There are at least six different types of vanilla flavors you can get from a barrel. And it takes six years to get those vanillas. Bourbons aged six years or more will have more pronounced vanillas, and other barrel notes like maple, butterscotch, brown sugar, caramel, ginger, clove, toffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, graham cracker, walnut, almond, butter, anise, bacon, toasted nuts and many, many more.

  BARRELS: BIG VS. SMALL

  There are a lot of craft distillers getting in the arena, and making some whiskey and bourbon. This will be great for the category, and like craft brewing, will bring a lot of excitement to bourbon and eventually some great products I can’t wait to try. There’s a lot of buzz going on about small barrels, and their advantages and disadvantages. Some are using smaller size barrels (five to 10 gallons) as opposed to our industry standard size of 53 gallon (200 liter), I have discussed this with several experts and here are some of their comments:

  “A small barrel with give you color and extract quickly”

  “There is more surface area of oak to volume of spirit ratio in a small barrel, so the amount of extractives from oak will be larger than a regular size barrel.”

  “I don’t think small barrels are the answer to quick aging.

  However, I think you will still get the confection notes (vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, etc) just not a mature whiskey flavor.”

  “It will not age properly.” (in a small barrel)

  “The 30 gallon barrel Koval uses seems to yield positive results.”

  “Also I would think that a small barrel would be very cost prohibitive for a number of reasons, cost per gallon for oak, labor, storage etc. I also suspect that you will have a greater ‘angels share’.”

  “Buffalo Trace Distillery did some extensive experimentation with 5 to 15 gallon barrels and found that their Buffalo Trace bourbon did not mature well in them, and the smaller the barrel used (the 5 gallon barrel) the worse the bourbon tasted. Buffalo Trace has also tried experiments with different parts of the tree used for barrels with positive results, but that was in 53 gallon barrels.”

  “The oxygen uptake will be more too, for the same reason of larger surface area. The slow oxygenation in a regular size barrel will never happen in a small barrel even if the intensity of aromatics is diminished by a different char or toast, so a small barrel will never have the balance of oxidation products achieved in a spirit aged in regular sized barrels.”

  The 53 gallon (200 liter) barrels have been used for generations. Rack houses built in the late1800s are still around and designed for this size. So 200 liter (53 gallon) barrels have been and looks like will be the industry standard…and well, they just work beautifully.

  The most expensive items in making bourbon are time, wood and mistakes. It would be a shame to make great whiskey, and then ruin it by trying to save some money by putting it in inferior wood. Choose your barrels carefully, and give that bourbon all the chances it can to develop in to the special whiskey that it is!

  Picture from Independent Stave on how they cut the staves from a white oak tree for a barrel (courtesy of the author)

  3 GENERAL BOURBON RECIPES

  (VISIT WWW.WHISKEYPROF.COM FOR MORE COOL IN-DEPTH INFO!)

  GRAINS AND WHAT THEY CONTRIBUTE

  Corn is what gives bourbon its signature sweetness and is considered the “engine” that provides the highest yield of alcohol per bushel of all the grains. The flavor of corn is prevalent fresh off the still in the White Dog, but over years of aging, the corn becomes neutral, and lends mostly to the over-all sweetness of the finished product.

  Barley is prized mainly for its enzymes for converting starches to sugar during the fermentation process so the yeast can feed on the sugars. Where corn is the “engine,” malted barley is considered the “horse power” that delivers these enzymes. Barley provides some flavor with the underlying malty and chocolate notes, along with some dryness. Usually only around 5% - 14% of any grain bill, the use of barley is mainly for those enzymes, and gives bourbon that slight biscuity textur
e.

  Rye and Wheat contribute most significantly to the flavor of mature bourbon. They are referred to as the “flavoring grains.” Any grains can be used, like oats or even brown rice, but these two are primarily used, with rye being the dominant flavoring grain with distillers by 90%.

  Rye brings a range of spice notes including pepper, nutmeg, clove, caraway and cinnamon, which are all intensified during the aging process. Think of eating a piece of rye bread. Rye gives bourbon that wonderful flavorful “bite” that it is known for.

  Wheat results in a sweeter-tasting bourbon, but not because the grain is sweeter. Wheat is not as rich as rye, so it allows more of the sweetness of the corn and vanilla to show through.

  BOURBON RECIPES OR MASH BILLS

  Traditional Bourbon Recipe (my term, not the industry’s): 70-80% corn –with the balance rye and some barley. Think of sweet-and-spicy, back-of-the-tongue experience. Bourbon can be up to 100% corn, but corn becomes neutral during aging and only contributes to the sweetness, so a flavoring grain of rye is used, and of course barley is used for converting those starches into sugar and for giving the bourbon that biscuity quality and hint of chocolate.