This is what you need to know about bourbon
October, autumn, rain, grey skies. Name me someone who looks forward to this time of year. Uh, well, me! Because if there’s anything great about the final months of the year, it’s the thought of a delicious glass of bourbon. When summer is over and the weather gets colder, this American whiskey really comes into its own.
That’s what they think at Jim Beam too, the world’s number-one bourbon – they recently kicked off whisky season with the biggest Dutch whisky tasting ever. Fred Noe, seventh-generation Master Distiller and great-grandson of Jim Beam, came to the Netherlands especially for the occasion. A perfect moment to ask him a few questions.
Let’s get straight to the point: what exactly is bourbon?
“Bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Whiskey can be made from different grains, and in America there was an abundance of corn. That’s why American whiskey is often made from corn. Put simply, bourbon is American whiskey made with at least 51% corn.”
Where does the name ‘bourbon’ come from?
“Bourbon is the name of the place where the drink was first distilled: Old Bourbon. Today, this place is called Bourbon County, and it is located in Kentucky.”
What about the ‘e’ in whiskey?
“Most whisky comes from Scotland, Japan, Ireland, America and Canada, but whisky can be made all over the world and is almost always spelled without an ‘e’. The only countries that spell it ‘whiskey’ instead of ‘whisky’ are Ireland and America.”
How does bourbon differ from other whisky?
“Because bourbon is made with at least 51% corn, all bourbons have a delicious sweetness that you don’t find in most barley- and rye-based whiskies. That sweetness makes bourbon the ‘sweet spot’ of whisky. The wood also has a major influence on the whisky’s flavour.”
Should we drink it neat or in a cocktail?
“It’s all good! Drink it any damn way you please! Neat, with ice, Beam with a coke, with ginger beer, in a cocktail, such as a whiskey sour; bourbon is wonderfully versatile, and you can take it in any direction. Bourbon can turn a conversation into a party!”
Since you started as Master Distiller, you’ve brought quite a bit of innovation to the bourbon shelf. From Jim Beam Double Oak and Devil’s Cut to flavoured bourbon and so much more.
“Jim Beam is the best-selling bourbon in the world; we sell around 10 million cases a year. And to think that back in the days (the seventies), bourbon wasn’t popular at all. My father also tried to keep me a little away from the business. But, well, blood is thicker than water. I thought, if it didn’t work out, I could always do something else. But I’m still here (laughs). And my son has since joined the company too. For 224 years, my family has focused on making an excellent bourbon. Innovation is part of that; consumers like experimenting with new flavours and styles. And experimentation is simply in our DNA.”
What should we try first tonight?
“A glass of Jim Beam with a piece of dark Godiva chocolate. Oh boy. And if you don’t like sweet things, prosciutto and bourbon are also a golden combination. And bourbon in your salad dressing, in your barbecue sauce or sticky spareribs with bourbon, with mild cheese, fish marinated in bourbon… Like I said, you can take bourbon in any direction!”
Sweet bourbon dreams
If you’re thinking, ‘Wonderful, bring on autumn’, I have more good news for you. Since recently, you can immerse yourself in Jim Beam – on location! Book an overnight stay via Airbnb (for 23 dollars per night) at Jim Beam itself, in the 1919 American Stillhouse, on the Jim Beam grounds. Visit the distillery, take part in a bourbon tasting and enjoy an authentic Kentucky barbecue in the evening. The stillhouse accommodates a maximum of six people, and the bar? It’s well stocked. With bourbon, of course.
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