Guides
Guides
Short, plain reads on grain, barrel, proof and age. Written for people who drink whiskey and want to understand it.
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bottled-in-bond · 6 min read
What bottled in bond means (and why 100 proof was a consumer-protection law)Bottled in bond is a set of five federal rules from 1897. What each one guarantees, what it does not, and how...
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bourbon · 6 min read
Single barrel vs. small batch: which words mean somethingSingle barrel means one barrel. Small batch means whatever the producer says. How to read both terms, what drives variation, and how...
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bourbon · 6 min read
Kentucky and beyond: where American whiskey is made nowBourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S. Here is why Kentucky makes most of it, and what Tennessee, Indiana and Texas...
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bourbon · 6 min read
How to taste bourbonGlassware, pour size, nosing, the Kentucky chew, water, flights and notes. A plain method for getting more out of every bourbon you...
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age-statement · 6 min read
How to read a bourbon labelClass words, age statements, distilled by vs. bottled by, proof, and the terms with no legal meaning. A plain guide to what...
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bourbon · 6 min read
Finished whiskeys: what a second barrel doesWhy a second cask makes it 'bourbon finished in,' what port, sherry, rum and toasted oak tend to add, and how to...
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bourbon · 6 min read
Cask strength, explainedWhat cask strength and barrel proof mean, why proof moves in the barrel, how to drink undiluted whiskey, and why it is...
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bourbon · 5 min read
Bourbon vs. rye vs. wheat: what the grain does to the glassCorn, rye, wheat and malted barley each pull a whiskey in a different direction. What the 51% rule means and what each...
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bourbon · 6 min read
The bourbon gift guide: bottles that land wellPick a bourbon gift by the person, not the brand: new drinkers, rye fans, collectors, cask-strength chasers, hosts, plus budget bands and...
