Here's How Bourbon Actually Gets Made

[Music] have you ever wondered what the heck goes into making bourbon what's the process behind those rich notes of vanilla caramel oak or cedar bourbon lovers everywhere keep watching [Music] take me home before you can make bourbon it's important to understand what a bourbon is and what a bourbon is not a whiskey must meet very strict guidelines in order to be considered a bourbon and yes those guidelines go beyond merely being made in kentucky though you'll find a lot of bourbon experts will fight on that rule with the bluegrass state residents remaining firmly on the side of all bourbon must be made in kentucky whereas everyone else takes a broader approach to the definition smithsonian magazine says according to the experts bourbon distilling isn't technically limited to kentucky instead a bourbon must fall under six guidelines first it has to be made in the united states anywhere in the united states secondly it must be aged in new charred white oak barrels third it must be at least 51 percent corn fourth and fifth it must be distilled at less than 160 proof and barreled at less than 125 proof lastly there cannot be any additional coloring or flavoring added for relaxing times make it centauri time each whiskey including bourbons starts with a mash bill which is basically the master distillers recipe for that particular whiskey it tells the distiller exactly what grains need to go into the whiskey from the start in what ratios however remember that in order for a whiskey to be a bourbon at least 51 of that grain ratio must be made up of corn other grains that can be used include malted barley rye and wheat the ratios of each impact the taste of the final product as southern distilling company notes a whiskey with more corn will have almost a syrupy flavor while rye heavy whiskies are more savory bourbons with a heavy portion of malted barley will typically taste maltier and toffee-esque while bourbons with a heavy amount of wheat will taste clean with a soft sweet undertone the final ratio and mash bill depend entirely on the individual distiller the only rule again is that they include at least 51 percent corn so then how do you go about actually creating the bourbon mash according to master class the correct portions of grain are combined and then added to water and yeast typically in a very large bat the mixture is heated and stirred creating the bourbon mash but even at this point in the process careful consideration is taken when choosing the yeast and even the water as both impact the final product according to vine pair distillers will either use their own proprietary strain of live culture yeast that they've been growing at their distillery for decades or they'll purchase yeast from a dedicated producer in other words they're not going to the grocery store and picking up a packet of dried yeast like you'd use for baking many distillers also say that limestone water is necessary for bourbon making and it just so happens that limestone water is abundant in kentucky then again turning a what if into a that's it can be pretty tasty yes sir after the bourbon mash is created via the perfect quantities of grains as well as the right yeast and water it's left to ferment the fermentation process doesn't take long master class says from one to two weeks but other distillers are finished with fermentation in as little as three days the fermentation process allows for all of the ingredients to break down on a chemical level creating alcohol often the distiller will add more yeast and sour mash around this time the sour mash is a mashed liquid that's been left over from a previous batch of bourbon mash and helps the new mash reach the correct ph levels think of it as similar to a sourdough starter or kombucha scoby you need a little bit of something old to make something new the tradition of using sour mash came about in the 1800s to help distillers produce a consistent product over multiple batches today every major u.s whiskey distillery uses the sour mash process but it's not entirely necessary to create a bourbon and it is possible to find some micro distillers who do not according to whiskey magazine as the whiskey professor explains there are two separate distilling processes that the fermented mixture must go through before barreling the first distillation process happens before the liquids and solids are separated once the mash is fermented and has a low alcohol content it's known as distiller's beer it's sent into a still where it's heated making the alcohol vapors rise these vapors travel through a tube that condenses the vapors turning them back into liquid this higher proof liquid is reserved and sent on to the second distillation process in a doubler and the proof increases even further this liquid is almost ready for barreling and can be held in a retention tank until that time but what about all those liquids and solids that the vaporized alcohol left behind after fermentation and one round of distillation are complete the remaining mixture is strained separating the liquids and solids the liquid can be used as that sour mash that's added to new mash later but the solids have a very different destination while some distillers may toss the solids known as distillers grain others will ship the grain to farms where it's used as livestock feed while that may seem a little odd and possibly harmful to the chicken and cows for which the feed is intended after all this green mixture has been soaking in a bourbon adjacent liquid for days research says the mixture is actually a very healthy and low cost option for farms the iowa corn growers association notes that distillers grains are filled with protein fat minerals and vitamins and since about 90 000 tons of distillers grains are produced in the united states each week the mixture is readily and affordably available but back to the alcohol at this point the bourbon is waiting in the retention tank for barreling however before a distiller can add the bourbon to just any old barrel they must choose the perfect barrel which is a whole task in and of itself barrels are produced by coopers just a fancy name for a barrel maker and the barrel making process is just as important to the end bourbon as any other part of the whiskey's creation one eater article looked into the barrel making process by interviewing the owners of the adirondack barrel cooperage there cooper's purchased missouri american oakwood which is known for being impervious to water and relatively low on tannins thanks to the growing areas heavy rain and snow the wood is aged two to five years then mechanically shaped into the recognizable barrel curvature after all the wood slats are the right size and shape a ring is attached which keeps it all together then the new barrel is heated and charred some coopers use steam for this while others use fire after the barrel cools it's cauterized sealed sanded and shipped and only then is the barrel ready to be filled with bourbon good man you set him up and i'll knock him back lloyd one by one after the bourbon is in the barrel it sits there for a while and just like there are a lot of rules regarding what goes into a bourbon there are a lot of rules regarding how long a bourbon is aged as southern kitchen states a bourbon must be aged for at least two years but no more than four years if it's to be called a straight bourbon whiskey if a bourbon is going to be called a bottled and bond bourbon it must be aged for at least four years if a bourbon is a mixture of multiple bourbons aged for multiple time spans the number on the bottle should reflect the youngest bourbon's age typically the longer the bourbon stays in the barrel the more flavor it develops however that's not always the case most bourbons hit peak flavor around 5 to 10 years and other factors such as environment also play a role in developing the flavor once the bourbon is in the barrel beyond just knowing how long a barrel of bourbon has been sitting in the brick house how does a distiller know the bourbon is done by tasting it of course the master distiller at a distillery will sample bourbons directly from the barrel and decide which are ready to be bottled master distiller marianne barnes said she must be able to identify the nuances of flavor profiles of each of her distilleries brands as well as be able to identify a barrel's proof and any defects upon tasting so it's my job at the end of the day to make sure that it what's going into the barrel is as high quality as as we can make but tasting all that bourbon isn't as fun as it may sound barnes said she's not allowed to smoke can't wear perfume on the job and does quote a lot of spitting she also has to recalibrate her senses every once in a while using scent jars to ensure she's accurately picking up on flavor notes like oak cedar and pepper she can reportedly do 50 tastings of a 140 proof bourbon before her mouth goes numb compared to the average drinker's six tastings once a master distiller approves a barrel of bourbon for bottling it can either be chilled for further development differed's guide says this can remove any molecular proteins that might make the bourbon hazy or diluted after bottling or it can be directly bottled to bottle a whiskey whiskey advocate explains barrels will be mechanically dumped into a trough the whiskey is transported into a holding tank and then through an automated bottling process though sometimes employees are used for special parts of the process such as dipping each maker's mark bottle into its iconic red wax the process is quick heaven hill distillery can reportedly fill as many as 21 000 bottles per hour any leftover items from the process are in many cases used in a new or inventive way such as the distiller's grain which as mentioned feeds livestock or the leftover fusal alcohol from distillation that's sometimes used and perfumes some distillers even use the fusal alcohol as a power source from there the bottled bourbon is shipped to your favorite local liquor store and then it's up to you to properly store your bourbon at home so that all of that hard work on behalf of the distillers coopers and others doesn't go to waste remember the saddest thing in life is wasted talent you could have all the town in the world but if you don't do the right thing then nothing happens heaven hill distillery recommends that you store your bourbon in a cool dark spot away from heat and sunlight additionally always store your bourbon bottles vertically never horizontally and make sure to use a sturdy shelf where bottles won't be in direct contact with a floor or wall likewise don't store your bourbon bottle near an oven in the attic or in the back of a car you want to keep the bottle somewhere between the upper 60s and lower 70s fahrenheit if you're collecting whiskey that you aren't putting on display immediately consider storing it on industrial style shelving in a clean dry basement though we also totally understand if you don't want to wait to drink that whiskey long enough to start a collection check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more mashed videos about your favorite liquors are coming soon subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one [Music]

Channel: Mashed

Views: 33,540

Keywords: mashed, alcohol, drinks, bourbon, drinking

Id: JZ0xodyQ_qg

Length: 12min 7sec (727 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 12 2022