Labrot and Graham Distillery - Versailles, KY
Men at work on the barrel run
Empty fermenter barrel, made of cypress (7500 gallons)
How to make a barrel for bourbon...
Full barrels in the warehouse
During the war between the USA and England, the French came to help the Americans. In honor of their help, a county was named "Bourbon", from the famous French family.
The alcohol produced there became known as "the fine whisky of Bourbon County", later shortened to "Bourbon" only.
Bourbon must contain :
- a minimum of 51% corn (most contain 70 to 79%)
- moderate amounts of rye (to enhance the work of the yeast and add Bourbon's distinctive taste)
- water of the Bluegrass (which is calcium rich water)
Ground corn is mixed with water in a mash tub : this mixture is then cooked at high temperatures.
Once cooked, uncooked rye and/or other small cereal grains are added. Malted barley is added too to change the starch into sugar. It goes into fermentation tanks, made of cypress, where fresh mash is mixed with sour mash, which creates a more natural fermentation.
Mash is cooled and yeast introduced : it digests the sugars in the mash, producing alcohol : this is what is called "distiller's beer", as it contains only from 4 to 9% of alcohol.
The "beer" is put into copper pot stills, to begin the distillation process.
The "beer" is distilled before entering barrels for maturing.
After the distillation, the alcohol level is 79%, to be reduced to between 50 and 62.5%
Barrels are toasted (as it releases vanilla, sugar, caramel and tannins from the wood) and charred (it helps to soften the taste of Bourbon) : it is important to the maturation process of bourbon.
A barrel can be used only once : they are then sold to distilleries in Ireland, Scotland, Mexico...
