What makes a bourbon a bourbon? It’s a common assumption that bourbon can only be produced in Kentucky, but that’s a misconception: in fact, the all-American whiskey can be made anywhere in the United States.
There are other restrictions that govern the production of bourbon – from using new charred oak barrels to including a minimum of 51 per cent corn in the mash bill – but creative distillers around the country are putting an exciting spin on the classic American spirit.
Below, we’ve picked five of the best bourbons in the US that aren’t from Kentucky.
Hudson Whiskey
Hudson Whiskey, which is made in Gardiner, New York, has the distinction of being the first company to ever make bourbon in New York State (and the first to make aged whiskey in the state since Prohibition).
Founded in 2001, the distillery makes handcrafted, small-batch spirits. Their mellow and easy-sipping Baby Bourbon is made from 100 per cent locally sourced corn, giving it a sweet, caramel-like flavour profile, while the rich and peppery Four Grain Bourbon blends corn with rye, wheat, and barley for a complex palate.
Smooth Ambler
Smooth Ambler hasn’t been around long – the distillery was only founded in 2009 – but this West Virginia outpost is already crafting some truly exceptional spirits.
The distillery takes an artisanal approach to its products: grain is milled on site, and water is sourced from its Greenbrier Mountain surroundings.
Smooth Ambler’s Old Scout is a perfect go-to bourbon, ideal for sipping neat or as the foundation in a range of cocktails.
Balcones Distilling
All right, so Balcones doesn’t technically produce a bourbon, according to the governmental restrictions. But what it does make – Texas corn whiskey distilled from atole, or meal made from blue corn that’s native to the state – is good enough to have earned it the title of Craft Distiller of the Year for 2014 from Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky awards.
Its True Blue spirit, an over-proof whiskey that clocks in at 50 per cent ABV, is both complex and also highly approachable.
Watershed Bourbon
Based in Columbus, Ohio, Watershed was founded in 2010, but its slightly off-kilter techniques – like aging its spirits in much smaller barrels, to increase the surface exposure and thus speed up the maturation – have produced bourbons that are full and flavorful in as little as two years.
Breckenridge Bourbon
Billed as the world’s highest distillery, the Colorado-based Breckenridge Distillery also makes use of Rocky Mountain snowmelt for its water source.
The resulting spirit is rich and tongue-coating, a luscious bourbon whose richness belies its minimal aging time.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to… whose guides cover all the best hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, sights, shops and spas
(Feature © Balcones Distillery)
