Bourbon: Traditions and Trends

Let’s face it: you don’t just drink “whiskey” anymore, on the rocks or poured in a shaker as the strong base for a lip-smacking concoction. Rather, not only do you drink Bourbon, the quintessential American Spirit, but you also stock your liquor cabinet with a variety of Bourbons: a wheatier, a rye-heavy, a young and easy, a barrel-proof, maybe even a single barrel. For sure, Bourbon comes in many shapes and at many rates, making shopping for it more difficult. Our 2 hours and 30 minutes “lecture” accompanied by 7 whiskies should help you with this daunting task. The Bourbons we enjoy today are the result of a long history, dating back to 1640, and the apotheosis of a craft fine-tuned since WWII. Sour mash, rectification, column and pot stills, rickhouse, mash bill, straight, small batch, Baudoinia, and many more terms will become familiar to you. Who makes it, where and how: you’ll learn that too. You will smell some white dog, view the inside of a barrel, and get to see the actual grains used to make Bourbon. Passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Bottles pictured are an example of what will be poured.  Actual lineup will vary.