All About American Whiskey

Last week, our new product feature was Angel's Envy, which is due to hit our shelves this week. This sought-after new bourbon is just one option to choose from when you peruse our bourbon aisle. The spirit, and American Whiskey in general, is experiencing a surge in popularity, with a number of features in this month's Wine Spectator magazine.

Bourbon is an American whiskey that is made primarily from corn. Although bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, it's primarily a southern spirit, with much of its rich history concentrated in Kentucky, in particular. Bardstown, Kentucky is known as the "Bourbon Capital of the World," and is where the annual Bourbon Festival takes place each September - this year it will be held from the 11th through the 16th. Kentucky is also the home of the booming "Kentucky Bourbon Trail," which is a tour that features six major bourbon distilleries: Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve, but lots of other distilleries in Kentucky offer tours, including the very popular Buffalo Trace.

Whiskey sold as Tennessee whiskey is technically also a bourbon, but some Tennessee whiskey makers do not label their product as bourbon and insist that it is a different type of whiskey when marketing their product. While the distilleries may call their spirits what they will, both Tennessee whiskey and bourbon have lots in common. They are made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn (although many are 2/3 or more corn) and aged in new, charred-oak barrels.

Bourbon and Whiskey is served straight, diluted with water, over ice cubes, or mixed with soda and into cocktails, including mint juleps, Manhattans, Old Fashioned, and the simple Whiskey Sour.

To learn more about American Whiskey first-hand and taste a few wonderful examples of it, be sure to check out our special event this Friday, February 3rd. In Woodbridge from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, and in Lawrenceville from 4:30 - 6:00 pm, we've got Jeff Norman, Master Taster from Jack Daniel's in our stores to host a tasting and bottle signing. Jeff spends his days on the master tasting pane for Jack Daniel's, selecting the whiskey that will become Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, and testing the whiskey before it’s bottled to ensure it’s up to Jack Daniel's standards.