December 23, 2019

By Wall of Whiskey

Whiskey Bottle Lingo

Part 1

What's it all mean?!?!?!

Every time you grab a bottle of that sweet 'Water of Life' you have to navigate a bevy of beverage labels and unravel the secret locution, all by the time you turn to pour it!

I'll split this up into a few posts, since there's a fair amount of lingo to cover.

Let's start with an easy one:

1. Single Barrel

As the name suggests, Single Barrel Bourbons are Bourbons that are sourced from a single barrel.

Major Bourbon production is carefully crafted by a Master Blender using the juice from many different barrels in order to maintain consistency of a specific style.

But when a single barrel contains something so special and full of flavor that it can stand on it's own, these whiskies are bottled as Single Barrel.

Some people love a Single Barrel because it will always be different from year to year and you can seek out the years you enjoy.

However this is also the same reason some people do not like Single Barrels: The lack of consistency.

Some people prefer knowing exactly what to expect when they pour a glass of whiskey.

Single Barrels tend to be a little higher in price due to the limited quantity that ends up being bottled.

Still, the next time you spot a Single Barrel from a distiller you really like, try it out and picture the single barrel that is responsible for it all.

2. Small Batch

Sounds similar, but really isn't.

Small Batch doesn't necessarily have an exact qualification other than knowing it will be a blend of at least 2 different barrels and will be a departure from the standard blend.

This usually happens when a Blender finds a number of great barrels that compliment each other in a way that is unique from the flag ship whiskey.

This could be 2 barrels or it could be 50 barrels!

It's up to the imagination of the blender much like a bartender crafts a cocktail with quality ingredients.

Small Batch bourbons are always going to be exciting because it's what the Master Blender finds exciting.

The next time you spot a Small Batch on the shelf, give it a shot! (heheh)

3. Sour Mash

We've all seen this one being advertised on the label and have thought, hmmmmm is it sour-tasting??

It's not.

The term "Sour" in Sour Mash came from the practice of using a "starter" when making sourdough bread.

Baker's would save a bit of the previous day's batch of fermented flour and add it to the new batch of fermenting flour thus controlling the bacteria and flavor.

In whiskey making this starter is comprised of the spent-mash from the previous batch that contains the grains and dead yeast; excellent food for the new yeast that will be introduced later.

The "Mash" (a concoction of barley, grains and water) is the base for all the goodness that becomes whiskey.

It is essentially a beer (made almost the same way) that gets distilled after it has gone through the fermentation process.

The main positive for using the Sour Mash method is controlling the contamination of unwanted yeast/bacteria in the Mash that would add foreign flavors to the whiskey.

The extra Lactic Acid helps mitigate the growth of those micro-monsters and gives the distillers better odds for crafting a whiskey with consistent flavor.

Some see the addition of "Sour Mash" to the label as being gimmicky because most distillers use this process and is basically like putting "Now Made With Fresh Water!" on the label.

Don't be fooled by that "New Sour Mash" whiskey by [YOUR FAVORITE BRAND HERE] because chances are they've made it like that all along and just need to push a few hundred cases for the holidays.

This stuff can be overwhelming but if you just remember a few key terms you can navigate the whiskey-world with ease.

Stay tuned for the next installments of Whiskey Bottle Lingo!

Cheers and Happy Sipping!

Do you have a favorite Single Barrel?

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