In my recent beginner’s guide to whiskey, I talked about all of the different main styles and classifications of the brown stuff. It’s a great place to start for the whiskey enthusiast in training. But how much more there is, too.
Enter the domain of full-fledged whiskey nerds, with this massive guide to why whiskey actually tastes the way it does on Eater. Sit down, pour yourself a dram, and settle in for a nice, long read. Here’s the intro:
What really makes whiskey taste like whiskey? If flavor truly just came down to a simple formula of distilling ratios of grains plus time spent in a barrel, then there wouldn’t be an infinite range of tastes, profiles and qualities. There’s a world of whiskey geekdom to explore, all of the finer points which turn that basic math into the highly complex art and science of whiskey production.
Of course, let’s not forget that it’s National Bourbon Heritage Month. (Yes, that’s a real thing). So while the above is full professorial whiskey geek knowledge, it’s always worthwhile to brush up on your bourbon 101, too.
Once you have that taken care of, read up on some of the best bourbon made outside of Kentucky. Because as you learned, bourbon need not hail from the Bluegrass State.
