History of Bourbon I: Origins through the Third Dark Age (1780s to 1980s) Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 6:00 pm and Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3:00 pm The boom-and-bust cycle of America’s history is reflected in our relationship with our Native Spirit, Bourbon. What started as a sharp, clear, rye grain-based liquor sold in jugs right off the still gradually transformed into a corn-based, richly flavorful, intentionally barrel-aged amber whiskey. Along the way, the Bourbon industry influenced trademark law, inspired food…

The boom-and-bust cycle of America’s history is reflected in our relationship with our Native Spirit, Bourbon. What started as a sharp, clear, rye grain-based liquor sold in jugs right off the still gradually transformed into a corn-based, richly flavorful, intentionally barrel-aged amber whiskey. Along the way, the Bourbon industry influenced trademark law, inspired food safety regulations, caused an international kerfuffle, fought Prohibition, got co-opted by the war effort, formed a monopoly and nearly disappeared from America no less than three…

History of Bourbon II: The Modern Era Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 pm and Sunday, March 22 at 3:00 pm From the dark days of the 1970s and 80s, bourbon has risen to unprecedented heights today. A few stats: • More than 1,000,000 tourist stops at Kentucky Bourbon distilleries the last two years, • Since the turn of the century Kentucky Bourbon production has skyrocketed more than 315 percent to 1,886,821 barrels in 2016, and • More than $2 billion…

History of Bourbon II: The Modern Era Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 pm and Sunday, March 22 at 3:00 pm From the dark days of the 1970s and 80s, bourbon has risen to unprecedented heights today. A few stats: • More than 1,000,000 tourist stops at Kentucky Bourbon distilleries the last two years, • Since the turn of the century Kentucky Bourbon production has skyrocketed more than 315 percent to 1,886,821 barrels in 2016, and • More than $2 billion…

Bourbon, by law, cannot contain additives for color or flavor. So all of the beautiful complexity of Bourbon - hundreds of potential flavor notes - comes from just six sources of flavor: • Water • Grains • Fermentation • Distillation • Maturation • Presentation We’ll examine each source of flavor in isolation and taste our way through limestone water and traditional Bourbon grains, plus nose an active fermenting Bourbon mash. Then we’ll taste spirit pre- and post-barrel to detect the…

Bourbon, by law, cannot contain additives for color or flavor. So all of the beautiful complexity of Bourbon - hundreds of potential flavor notes - comes from just six sources of flavor: • Water • Grains • Fermentation • Distillation • Maturation • Presentation We’ll examine each source of flavor in isolation and taste our way through limestone water and traditional Bourbon grains, plus nose an active fermenting Bourbon mash. Then we’ll taste spirit pre- and post-barrel to detect the…

Bourbon has traditionally (in modern times) been made from: • Limestone water, • Yellow dent corn plus malted barley, wheat and/or rye grains, • Sour mash fermentation, • Column still distillation, and • Aging in a new, charred oak barrel. But the new generation of craft distillers is expanding and experimenting with how Bourbon can be made. Using variants like specially grown heirloom corn, unusual grain bills, sweet mash fermentation, pot still distillation and unusual maturation techniques. Bourbons (and near…

Bourbon has traditionally (in modern times) been made from: • Limestone water, • Yellow dent corn plus malted barley, wheat and/or rye grains, • Sour mash fermentation, • Column still distillation, and • Aging in a new, charred oak barrel. But the new generation of craft distillers is expanding and experimenting with how Bourbon can be made. Using variants like specially grown heirloom corn, unusual grain bills, sweet mash fermentation, pot still distillation and unusual maturation techniques. Bourbons (and near…