Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/46939
CATEGORY REPORT hold liquid or take heat, but this is what led to our Master Collection," Chris Morris says. Creative bourbon masters like Morris are as important as the distillers who first experimented with sour mashes and charred barrels, says Eric Gregory, President of the Kentucky Distillers Association. "Everything from the infused bourbons to the finishes—they are changing the flavor profile," Gregory says. "Most of these [finished] bour- bons are limited editions and sell out immediately. This innovation goes back to our roots, when pioneering distillers perfected the world's finest bourbon. Now we're taking it a step further." Jim Rutledge, the Master Distiller at Four Roses since 1995, extracts bour- bon from a barrel during a Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection tasting. whiskey is to remain bourbon. There are products on the market—includ- ing Beam's Red Stag and Wild Turkey American Honey—that have flavoring, but the label indicates that the product is a blend and not pure bourbon. To whiskey purist Jason Bauer, owner of Bourbons Bistro in Louisville, these blends are bringing in an entirely new market segment. "Some consumers had never had a whiskey until these products came out," Bauer says. "I'm all for the innovation." Distilleries are also experiment- ing with the barrels. Heaven Hill Distilleries' Parker's Heritage Cognac Finished Bourbon uses used Limousin cognac barrels. Maker's Mark adds toasted French oak staves to the barrel to create Maker's 46. The Louisville Distilling Company ages Angel's Envy bourbon in American white oak for four years and finishes it in hand-selected port barrels. Buffalo Trace Distillery made barrel sections in single trees for the Single Oak Project Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which yielded 192 barrels. Woodford Reserve is finished in maple wood barrels and barrels once used for Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay. "As we were experimenting creating Woodford Reserve, that led to experiments using other kinds of barrels. We learned some woods can't A Kentucky Stronghold More than 95 percent of bourbon is made in Kentucky. Distillers settled here to escape the taxman during the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s, but found that the state's natural limestone purified the water, making it perfect for whiskey making. More than 300 Tuthilltown Distillery and Arkansas's Rock Town Distillery have all made worthy bourbons. But continued growth in Kentucky likely signifies that the Bluegrass State will always be this whiskey's stronghold. In the past several months, Michter's Distillery broke ground on its own $7.8 million distillery in downtown Louisville, Alltech began work on its $4.5 million facility and Wild Turkey opened its new $50 million plant in what Eric Gregory called the most ambitious expansion since Prohibition. Gregory says the Kentucky distilling industry has pumped $200 million into the state economy this year. This is partly because the state offers investment incentives, he says. "The bourbon industry is growing at such a rapid pace," Gregory says. "We're in a bourbon renaissance right now. People are discovering bourbon and they like what they taste." Interest in Kentucky bourbon is also up because of legwork by the distillers A growth category: Michter's is opening a new $7.8 million distillery in downtown Louisville next year. bourbon labels are made in Kentucky today at nine distilleries, and there are more barrels aging bourbon in the state than there are people. However, there's been an increase in non-Kentucky bourbon in the past ten years, coinciding with the massive growth in microdistilleries. California's St. George Spirits, New York's Tom Bulleit travels frequently to promote his Bulleit Bourbon and the category in general. themselves. Tom Bulleit, founder of Bulleit Bourbon, for example, travels more than 250 days a year meeting with bartenders and liquor store own- ers talking about his product. What all of this means for the rest of us is a lot more bourbon. More experimentation. More cocktails. Pour a glass, please. november 201 1 / the tasting panel / 109