NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Yesterday was National Bourbon Day and we celebrated with Chris McLellan of Glazer’s Distributors.
Chris explained to us that bourbon is a type of whiskey. Whiskey is a category of alcohol that has many different variations. There’s Canadian whiskey, Irish whiskey, Japanese whiskey and even multiple American styles of whiskey.
Three key ingredients make up whiskey: grain, water, and yeast. In order to be classified as bourbon, it must have 51% corn as well as barley and rye that are added in. Next, it must go through distillation, which is a stripping of raw materials. Once that is complete it is barreled for two to three years, then bottled and distributed.
While no family or person is credited with creating bourbon, it originated in Kentucky. The spirit that would eventually be called bourbon was very well known in New Orleans because it was aged for the perfect amount of time after traveling down the river.
As for the best way to drink bourbon, Chris says it’s all about personal preference.
“The best bourbon is the one that you personally enjoy. Whether you like to drink bourbon with soda may not be the best way to drink the bourbon, but it’s a heck of a way to drink soda.”
