Whiskey is, in it’s most basic form, a distilled spirit from a mash of grain, aged in oak barrels. There is no minimum aging time for whiskey, but for certain whiskies (like bourbon or rye) to be designated as “straight,” they must be aged in the barrel for at least two years. However, there is one whiskey that, by law, does not need to be aged; corn whiskey. In fact, IF corn whiskey is aged, it can only be aged in used, charred oak, or toasted oak barrels. Unlike most other grain whiskies, corn whiskey also needs to be at least 80% corn, while bourbon, rye, and other whiskies need only to be at least 51% of their respective major grains. There are some specifics for the type of barrels that must be used (new vs. used charred, toasted, etc.) for certain whiskies, and that’s where it starts to get confusing. Bourbon is a whiskey that must be produced in America, distilled from at least 51% corn, and aged in new, charred oak barrels. There are some other specifics, but the main idea is that it’s American, corn-based and aged in new, charred oak. There is no requirement for bourbon to be made in Kentucky. However, over 95% of all bourbon is made in Kentucky and the other 5% is counterfeit. At MB Roland Distillery, in addition to our bourbon we take pride in making other unique whiskies not made at a typical Kentucky distillery. We make everything from our “Dark Fired Whiskey” to a hemped bourbon to a straight malt whiskey to name a few. There’s no end to the variations as we try out new things anytime we get a chance or an excuse to do so. For those of you that want to know more about bourbon, we suggest you check out a wonderful timeline that was put together by our good friends at the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA). Just head over to http://kybourbontrail.com/history/ and click on “Kentucky Bourbon Timeline.”
