THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOURBONS NOW
If you love a dad who loves bourbon (or anyone else, for that matter), check out what makes bourbon so beautiful in our exploration of this pure American spirit. From its colorful history, to its exceptional craft, bourbon can be a work of art to enjoy one precious sip at a time.
DREAMING IN BOURBON
--- G.S. Katz
America needed its own whiskey. And when early settlers in Kentucky found water filtered by the native limestone, combined with a unique climate, perfect for producing barrel-aged whiskey, bourbon was born.
Bourbon’s story is beautifully documented a new book, The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries
The book takes you on a historical tour of Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail. Before Prohibition, it was home to over 200 commercial distilleries. Only 61 reopened after its repeal in 1933. Recently, with the resurgence of bourbon’s popularity, many are being renovated, refurbished, and cranked up again.
From well-known brands, including Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, and Buffalo Trace, to smaller batch crafters, such as Old Taylor and James E. Pepper, Peachee captures their antique charms and rich heritage.
Peachee uses a technique known as high-dynamic-range imaging―a process that produces rich saturation, with intensely clarified details, and a full spectrum of light. The gleaming copper stills contrast against the aged, worn cypress wood fermenting tubs and hardware, with gorgeous layers of patina.
With 238 richly saturated photos of old warehouses, grain hoppers, barrel rooms, boiler houses, and other bourbon-soaked relics, this book is a must for bourbon loving dads and other aficionados.
University Press of Kentucky (2015)
Small batch bourbons are crafted with unique distillation methods, barrels, and aging environments. They are bottled at cask strength. Each has an intentionally distinct flavor profile. Very rare, limited release bourbons, such as Michter's 20 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon, come in numbered bottles and can sometimes be found at whiskey auctions.
Bourbon recipes can vary widely, although at least 51% of the blend must come from corn. Rye, malted barley, and wheat can also be part of the mix.
We love bourbons that are warm and full-flavored. We love when we can taste the corn and when other notes, like maple butter, dark chocolate, roasted plum, peach, and salted caramel come through, with a long finish.
Aging, for at least 5 years, makes bourbon grow deep and complicated -- and yields luscious legs. The best, such as Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve, are aged for over 20 years. Charred oak barrels are the ideal aging vessels.
The Woodford Reserve Distillery, in Woodford County, KY, is one of the oldest and smallest working distilleries in the United States, founded in 1812. They rely on clear waters from the adjacent Glenn’s Creek, as well as local trees for barreling.
To ensure quality and help protect the area’s natural resources, they partnered with the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, replanting native trees and vegetation to improve water quality, prevent land erosion, attract wildlife, and offer sustainable supplies.
Read more about Beautiful Fathers in 10 Beautiful Gifts For Beautiful Fathers Now and The Incredible Beauty of Seahorse Dads.
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IMAGE CREDITS:
- Image: by Scott Shephard. Moonset Over Iowa Corn.
- Image: by Alisa Cooper. Bourbon.
- Image: by Carol Peachee. Courtesy of University Press of Kentucky. The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries.
- Image: Courtesy of University Press of Kentucky. The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries, by Carol Peachee.
- Image: by Carol Peachee. Courtesy of University Press of Kentucky. The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries.
- Image: by Carol Peachee. Courtesy of University Press of Kentucky. The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries.
- Image: by Carol Peachee. Courtesy of University Press of Kentucky. The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries.
- Image: by Carol Peachee. Courtesy of University Press of Kentucky. The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries.
- Image: Courtesy of Michter’s . Michter's 20 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon.
- Image: Courtesy of Heritage Handcrafted. Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon. Packaged by Heritage Handcrafted in reclaimed barrel wood.
- Image: Courtesy of Red, White & Bourbon. Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year Bourbon.
- Image: Courtesy of Pappy Van Winkle. Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve.
- Image: Courtesy of Woodford Reserve. Distiller’s Select.
- Image: by stace_carter. Woodford Reserve #7: Not Yet Mellow.
- Image: by Juan Monroy. Bourbon Barrels.
- Image: by Oren Levine. Bourbon. At the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in Bardstown, Kentucky.
- Image: by BN App - Download now!
- Image: by Jeff Turner. Bourbon.
