An Expert’s Guide to Bourbon – and the Journey It Takes Before Reaching Your Glass

Photo: Courtesy of Maker's Mark

Good things take time, patience and careful expertise – and that goes double for bourbon. In partnership with Maker’s Mark, we chat with an expert about the process of producing bourbon, how it gets its signature flavours, and the best ways to serve it.

The world of whisky is deep and wide, which can sometimes be a little intimidating for newcomers. For Maker’s Mark brand ambassador Rhianna Lucas, bourbon is the ideal place to start. “There really is a bourbon for everyone,” she says. “Bourbon is a really fantastic whisky because it has those beautiful sweet elements that we get from using corn as the base grain, which allows the whisky to be quite approachable.”

From easygoing whiskies with vanilla and caramel flavours, like Maker’s Mark, to rich and spicy styles, there’s plenty to love about bourbon, whether you’re new to whisky or a seasoned pro. Lucas takes us through the finer points of this iconic American spirit, including the deliberate touch of the whisky craftsman and the role of nature.

The foundations of bourbon whisky

Never miss a moment. Make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter today.
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Before you can legally call a whisky “bourbon”, it has to tick some recipe boxes. “It has to be 51 per cent corn for the grains,” Lucas says. “After that, other grains are used, so you often see rye as the flavouring grain, which can add a bit of spice.”

One way bourbon distillers create their own house style is through their choice of those other grains. Maker’s Mark, for example, takes its gentle sweetness from soft red winter wheat – the choice of founder Bill Samuels Sr in the 1950s. “Most bourbon at the time was quite rye-forward – really heavy and spicy – and it wasn’t exactly the whisky that he enjoyed drinking,” she says. “That’s why he decided on using the soft red winter wheat as the flavouring grain, because that really brought a round, smooth characteristic to the whisky and let those caramel and vanilla flavours from the woods shine through.”

Fermentation and distillation

In the next step, the grains are generally rolled, mashed and fermented before being distilled into a clear spirit that’s ready for the all-important ageing process. The way those grains are treated makes a big difference to a distillery’s house style.

“The way we crush our grains is a really old-school method, using a roller mill, which allows us to keep a bit more of the grain husk intact and ensure that no bitterness comes through into the whisky,” Lucas says of the Maker’s Mark process. “We mash and ferment in really small batches – 10,000 gallons – which is really quite small compared to a lot of other distilleries.”

A unique oak-ageing process

Once the grain is fermented and distilled, it still needs to undergo one important step to become bourbon: ageing. Again, bourbon whiskies have to conform to certain requirements in order to make the grade, and the type of barrel makes all the difference. “All the barrels are new charred American oak barrels, and the key word there is ‘new’. To be a bourbon, you can only use those barrels once.”

The length of ageing is particular to brands – Maker’s Mark, for instance, ages a whisky to taste rather than a set length of time. Regardless, there’s a common magic that happens in that time. “In Kentucky, there are some pretty significant swings in the weather throughout the season,” Lucas says. “As the temperature gets hotter and changes more frequently, the whisky moves through the char layer of the wood into what we call the red layer, which is where all of those caramelised wood sugars sit.” The result is the extraction of bourbon’s signature colour and sweet vanilla flavours.

Proof, strength and the perfect serve

Once a bourbon has aged, it’s either bottled directly (in the case of cask-strength whisky) or cut with water to lower the alcohol content (but not to less than 40 per cent ABV). There’s no right or wrong there, just different styles. “Proof definitely has an impact on the overall experience of the whisky. Proof can make quite a difference to the mouthfeel, and the boldness of the flavour characteristics really comes through as that proof increases.”

However you prefer it, bourbon is a versatile whisky that’s equally at home in cocktails or served straight. With an easy style like Maker’s Mark, Lucas says mixing is the way to go – either a Maker’s with ginger and lime, or a twist on a classic cocktail. “My favourite cocktail is the Gold Rush,” she says. “This is a bit of a riff on the classic whisky sour but with honey in there as well – so it’s bourbon, lemon and honey.”

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Maker’s Mark. Sign up for the Maker’s Mark ambassador program to receive exclusive benefits like VIP event invitations, access to limited-release whiskies and your name on a barrel of Maker’s Mark.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Maker's Mark

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Maker's Mark
Learn more about partner content on Broadsheet.

Broadsheet promotional banner