×
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $199.94 $249.88
Pours a lovely golden tawny with aromas of milk chocolate nougat, toasted honeycomb, candied orange, fresh cream, and...
12 FREE
UBC
93
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $30.49
This golden-hued Bourbon calls to mind butterscotch hard candies, blondie bars, toasted coconut, and sweet cream on...
12 FREE
UBC
94
BTI
92
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $51.30 $54.00
6 bottles: $44.40
TOP 100 SPIRITS 2018. Enticing oak and vanilla aromas are joined by a hint of black cherry. The palate is deep and...
12 FREE
WE
93
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $52.80
6 bottles: $45.60
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $56.03 $58.98
6 bottles: $50.77
The nose is somewhat tight at first, but opens to aromas of coffee cake, fruit cup, and faint notes of cherry,...
12 FREE
WKY
93
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $33.92
Golden amber color. Aromas of hot cinnamon candies, milk chocolate, corn pops, maple syrup, and toast with a supple,...
12 FREE
BTI
92
WKY
90
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $33.60 $38.40
Many argue that crafting a perfectly well balanced whiskey blend is harder than distilling whiskey itself. We're not...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $27.07 $28.50
12 bottles: $26.22
Adirondack High Rye Bourbon was distilled in a custom copper pot, and released at the end of July 2016. It was aged...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $29.26 $30.80
12 bottles: $28.41
This classic single barrel Bourbon is bold and complex with notes of vanilla, sweet fruit and warming spices.
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $44.73 $51.12
Mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled by the Albany Distilling Company. Made from grain grown in New York...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $46.17 $48.60
6 bottles: $45.00
Amador Whiskey Double Barrel Classic Bourbon Cabernet captures flavors of vanilla, caramel, mildly tart black cherry,...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $41.89 $44.10
6 bottles: $40.50
Amador Whiskey Co. Double Barrel marries the best of Kentucky Bourbon with Napa Valley wine barrel finishing. Its...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $36.47 $38.39
6 bottles: $30.71
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $23.10 $26.40
A proprietary blend of corn and rye grains provides an authentic. old world flavor. Never chill filtered. Our...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $91.93 $96.77
From country music star Brad Paisley and Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Company, this bourbon uses 4 year old whiskey...
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $58.14 $61.20
6 bottles: $57.60
12 FREE
Spirits
12 FREE
Spirits
12 FREE
Sale
Spirits
375ml
Bottle: $28.01 $29.48
12 bottles: $22.79
TOP 100 SPIRITS 2015. Luxe and velvety, this port-finished Bourbon shows bold caramel and toffee up front, morphing...
WE
94
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $45.23
TOP 100 SPIRITS 2015. Luxe and velvety, this port-finished Bourbon shows bold caramel and toffee up front, morphing...
12 FREE
WE
94

American Whiskey Bourbon

The United States of America is a country of great cultural diversity, influenced by migrating nations from across the world. As such, its whiskey industry is a fascinating and complex one, which represents the range of regional differences found there.

The Irish were the original pioneers of American whiskey, and when they emigrated in their thousands from the old country, they brought their skills, knowledge and distillation techniques with them, to give them something to remind each other of home in the New World. This is why American whiskey goes by the Irish spelling, with the additional ‘e’, and why many traditional American whiskies closely resemble the original Irish style.

Today, there are several different types of American whiskey, and the styles and production techniques are now set out in US federal law, cementing a set of characteristics and production methods to preserve and protect the industry.

Corn whiskey, which is made from a minimum 80% corn in the mash and aged for a short period, is probably the most historic of the American whiskey styles, but others like rye whiskey, which is made from a minimum of 51% rye and aged in charred barrels, are growing in popularity among a new generation of drinkers looking for something unique, interesting and independently produced. Alongside these styles, we find Tennessee whiskey, which uses maple charcoal for sweeter notes, the softer wheat whiskies, the world-dominating Bourbon whiskies, and others which are peculiar to specific states and regions.

Bourbon has survived all manner of difficulties and restrictions to become one of the world’s best selling and most recognizable spirits. This unique and distinctly American whiskey came from humble origins, allowing poor farmers in the fields of Pennsylvania and Maryland to make a living from their crops. Prohibition, temperance movements and conflict continuously threatened to wipe Bourbon from existence, but today the drink is stronger than ever and has a global audience of millions. Over time, it has become more refined, and innovation and experimentation has set modern Bourbon apart from other whiskey styles.

Today, the Bourbon heartland and spiritual home is in Kentucky, where the whiskey producers of northern states traveled to seek a new home, free from oppressive tax regimes in the early days. It is now far from the rough and ready spirit of yesteryear, governed by strict rules and regulations to maintain standards and keep quality high. Modern Bourbon must be made from a mash which is no less than 51% and no more than 80% corn (the rest of the mash being made from rye, wheat or barley), giving it a distinctive sweetness, and it must be aged in charred, white oak casks with no other added ingredient but water.

The varied flavors of different Bourbons come about mainly from the different quantities of the permitted grains in the mash. A larger proportion of rye will produce a spicy, peppery whiskey, whereas more wheat will result in a smoother, more subtle drink. Ageing and water quality, as well as the expertise and vision of the craftsmen who distill it, will also make a difference, meaning there is much more to Bourbon than might first meet the eye.