The Gen XY Lifestyle
Learning About Bourbon And Tennessee American Whiskey
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States(DISCUS) recently held the Great American Whiskey Experience event in Singapore to share and promote the finer virtues of drinking American whiskey.
According to DISCUS, distilled spirits and specifically whiskies, are becoming more popular in the Asia-Pacific region, with exports growing over 500% since 2003.
At the event, DISCUS representatives shared about the history of American whiskey, tracing its heritage to the 17th century when Europeans brought the art of distillation to the US. America’s first distilled spirit was rum and this was replaced by Rye whiskey during the American Revolution.
Given the abundance of different grains, such as corn, rye, wheat and barley and the availability of limestone-filtered water and oak barrels (from forests), American whiskey displays combination of grains as opposed to Scottish single malts. The first grain is typically 51% corn or rye and a secondary grain, usually rye or wheat is used. The fermentation usually involves a sour mash process and are mostly double-distilled. In the US, by law, oak barrels can only be used once during the aging process (after which they get sold to distilleries in Scotland). The aging time is also lesser in the US (four – eight years compared to 10 or more in Scotland), presumably as a consequence of a kinder climate.
In the US, there are two main types of whiskey – bourbon and Tennessee with the latter going through an additional “Lincoln County” process of charcoal filtering prior to the aging process to add smoothness.
During the Great American Whiskey Experience, we sampled four whiskies including the colonial-style George Washington Unaged Rye (produced using George Washington’s own recipe and from the distillery he founded at Mount Vernon, Virginia), the Bulleit Rye, the Wild Turkey Rare Breed cask strength Bourbon, the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey and the Angel’s Envy Bourbon (aged in Port wine casks).
If you are heading up to Mount Vernon, Virginia, consider doing a tour of George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill located on Route 235 along the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway. The Distillery is open daily from 1 April to 31 October (1000 – 1700 hours). Visitors need to plant their own transport there but entrance to the site includes admission to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. However, if you are only there for the whiskey, admission to the Distillery & Gristmill is also sold separately at USD 5 for adults and USD 3 for youth 6 – 11 years and free for children 5 and under.
For those keen to get your own taste of American whiskey, you can find the Bulleit Bourbon 10 Years Old, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select at bars, restaurants and specialist wine shops across Singapore (best to call ahead to check to avoid disappointment). The Templeton Rye Small Batch Rye Whiskey is available at the Manhattan Bar and 28 Hong Kong Street (voted one of the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2014) establishments in Singapore.
