quote:

Few beverages have as rich a heritage and as complicated a chemistry as bourbon whiskey, often called “America’s spirit.” Known for its deep amber hue and robust flavors, bourbon has captured the hearts of enthusiasts across the country.

But for a whiskey to be called a bourbon, it has to adhere to very specific rules. For one, it needs to be made in the U.S. or a U.S. territory – although almost all is made in Kentucky. The other rules have more to do with the steps to make it – how much corn is in the grain mixture, the aging process and the alcohol proof.

I’m a bourbon researcher and chemistry professor who teaches classes on fermentation, and I’m a bourbon connoisseur myself. The complex science behind this aromatic beverage reveals why there are so many distinct bourbons, despite the strict rules around its manufacture.

And gotta love this:

quote:

Michael W. Crowder
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University

Disclosure statement
Michael W. Crowder received funding from Sazerac Corp., as pass through funds from MindXAI, to characterize the chemical composition of bourbons that were part of the Single Oak Project using NMR spectroscopy. Michael is a Faculty Fellow at the James B. Beam Institute and a Certified Executive Bourbon Steward from the Stave and Thief Society.

https://theconversation.com/th...placement=newsletter

There could be worse jobs.

Nice work if you can get it.

Big Al

At this point I don’t want any sort of job, although I might consult as a taster.

Mrs pj asked me to pick up “a small bottle of decent bourbon” for a recipe she was making. I picked up a 375 of Gentleman Jack. I figured I would eventually drink whatever she didn’t use and I find Gentleman Jack an agreeable hooch.

When I got home, Mrs pj inspected the bottle and said that she specifically said “Bourbon”. I never really noticed that Jack doesn’t say “Bourbon” on the label, it says “Tennessee whiskey”. I think regular black label JD says “Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey” (what my dad always called “corn squeezins”).

I gave her a rundown on the differences among various whiskeys including Scotch, Irish, American, Bourbon, Canadian, Japanese, Rye, and so forth.

In my younger days, I could differentiate between Kentucky and Tennessee whiskeys by taste.

It turned out she read the recipe wrong and only needed a couple tablespoons, not one cup. (Yeah, a cup of bourbon is a lot for a pan of bread pudding.)

Now, on the rare occasions I do drink, I drink Scotch.