Back to Bourbon

OK, I've been getting into the bourbon scene for the last three years or so… I enjoy it immensely, however, I have a semi-serious question for anyone here that's really, really into bourbon…
From what I understand, and read, bourbon is one of the most heavily regulated products in the United States… From the aging process, to the bottling process, to the 51% corn requirement, to the aged in charred new oak barrels requirement. when I watch shows on YouTube, read about articles, I typically see everyone tasting the bourbon and then reflecting on the "notes " such as smoky, fruity, floral, and so on… My question is… Am I missing something? If the same requirements are imposed on every distiller that makes bourbon, how are you guys picking up all these subtle little "notes "of flavor?I never seem to be able to decipher tiny hints or flavors like that… And from what I understand, even to be labeled as "bourbon "..... other ingredients are not allowed to be added in the process. help me make sense of this. and maybe I am drinking it wrong?

9Left said:

OK, I've been getting into the bourbon scene for the last three years or so… I enjoy it immensely, however, I have a semi-serious question for anyone here that's really, really into bourbon…
From what I understand, and read, bourbon is one of the most heavily regulated products in the United States… From the aging process, to the bottling process, to the 51% corn requirement, to the aged in charred new oak barrels requirement. when I watch shows on YouTube, read about articles, I typically see everyone tasting the bourbon and then reflecting on the "notes " such as smoky, fruity, floral, and so on… My question is… Am I missing something? If the same requirements are imposed on every distiller that makes bourbon, how are you guys picking up all these subtle little "notes "of flavor?I never seem to be able to decipher tiny hints or flavors like that… And from what I understand, even to be labeled as "bourbon "..... other ingredients are not allowed to be added in the process. help me make sense of this. and maybe I am drinking it wrong?

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Not all bourbon is equal, a couple things that make each bottle unique vary greatly are the Mashbill (recipe) the level of char higher the longer it's charred (typically #1 – #4) the barrel gets, how long that barrel is aged, where that barrel was stored (what warehouse, floor, etc). Bourbon is dumped and often blended meaning they will dump X number of barrels and it's all mixed together, then "proofed" so it's all equal across the board (90, 100 etc) the term Single Barrel means that bottle came from a singular barrel and it wasn't blended. Barrel proof means the proof is exactly what it came out of the barrel at and it wasn't cut or proofed down. These are often stronger 110-135 Proofs= hotter but more flavor as nothing was added (bourbon can only have water added to proof it down and why the limestone filtered water from the Kentucky river is used from Kentucky distillers, one reason why a ton of bourbon comes from Kentucky.

Drink it neat if you want to be able to pick out notes, use the proper glass (glencairn) swirl and smell it multiple times, rinse and repeat a few times, swirling and letting a glass sit will release some ethanol as well which makes for a better sip. Start low, when straight spririts hit your mouth it's a shock to your taste buds, mouth and tounge, so lay out 4 glasses, starting 90, then 100, and go up from there in proofs working your way up to barrel strtechn, full proofs, etc.

More later....