Alcoholic drinks serve a variety of purposes today. These come from the base mash and the wood aging. These whole fruits are mashed and fermented. “Okay,” you dubiously remark, “why don’t we just call it wine?” Because it isn’t just wine, it’s actually distilled wine. Then distilled in copper stills.Remember that bourbon is a whiskey. But the difference between bourbon vs. whiskey is a little more complicated than that. This means that Brandy is, by definition, not a wine but a spirit.Cognac and Armagnac are the top two, since they are actually types of brandy. Specifically, it is a whiskey made from corn. Whiskey has the number of years it was aged printed on the label. Whiskey? Whiskey, bourbon, scotch, and rye are all in the same family of liquors.Many clear fruit brandies are actually not aged, the notable exceptions being apple and obviously grape! Corn is a reliable and wide-spread in the New World. Bourbon whiskey is distilled from corn mash; specifically, a whiskey distilled from a mash containing at least 51 percent corn, the rest being malt and rye, and aged in new charred oak containers. Today, it is the most widely exported American spirit.Brandy was actually one of the first spirits distilled in America since there is so much natural fruit on the east coast.
You can find decent bourbon at the 2-year mark, but most of the premium bourbons are between 5-12 years. A popular explanation is: “All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.” In other words, bourbon is a specific type of whiskey—American, to be exact. Most are cognacs since they tend to have the best flavor.Wheat in the mash tends to soften the whiskey and add in sweeter notes like strong caramel or vanilla (which are in most bourbons) but also apples and pears. The corn is what makes it a little sweeter. )Brandy is a full and rich spirit, aromas of wood and fruit. Cinnamon and kicking pepper are the notes in something like Bulleit Bourbon.Bourbon is required to be aged for at least 2 years. Distilling the wine raises the alcohol content from the usual 18-20% in regular wine all the way to 40-50%! But brandy and bourbon both have vanilla flavors, so if that is the key note you want to highlight, you should be okay!When you are looking for a brandy, consider aging to be positive. Other grains in the mash can include barley, rye, and wheat.The grain notes in bourbon come from mash that hasn’t aged in wood long enough to lose that characteristics.
Rich, full-bodied, and smooth. But, as usual, don’t overwhelm with too many rich dishes in one meal or you’ll overwhelm the bourbon. Give them a shot and you’ll see what I mean. (This should be a good place to get started if you want to do a taste test opposite Bourbon! It differs from whisky in its base mash composition, which is majority corn.
It’s finished in a port pipe so there are hints of ripe berries even though the majority of flavors are toffee, maple syrup, and tangerine peels. But they have a rich flavor, sweet caramel overtones, a base of ripe fruit, and subtle notes of nuts and spice from wood.
(Trust France to protect its labels! This is set out to sour overnight.It’s aged for 8 years and filtered through Texas mesquite, which adds a lovely spice to the smooth oaky liquid.