The words single barrel bourbon sounds so fancy, doesn’t it? The word “single” in itself often implies a luxury status. For instance, single malt scotch is typically costlier than blended scotch whiskey.
A lot of whiskey enthusiasts are very familiar with single barrel bourbons because of how popular they are. But every type of bourbon is unique in its way.
We have two main ways of bottling bourbon; standard (also multiple) barrels and single barrel bottling. There’s also another category known as small-batch bourbon. All these categories are different in how they are bottled. In this article, we’d be exploring each of these categories in a bid to help you understand them and their differences.
Brief History of Bourbons
Bourbons are distinguished from other types of whiskeys because of the stringent laws surrounding them. These laws are called the “Standards of Identity” and have been shaped over time.
One of the standards says that bourbon has to be kept in “charred new oak containers”. This is because before the modern equipment used for making bottles was invented, bourbons were sold in barrels. Distillers never expected that they would get these barrels back.
So, this means that all bourbons were originally single barrel bourbons. However, things have somewhat changed now.
Standard Barrel Bourbons
To produce bourbon legally, the mash bill has to contain at least 51 percent corn. The remaining content could be any other grains like barley, wheat, rye, or any other grain used in the production of whiskey. You can read this article to learn more about the grains used for whiskey.
Next, the grains get grounded, mashed using water, cooked, allowed to cool and ferment, and finally distilled. After these are done, the distillate will be stored in new charred oak barrels. The spirit will gain flavor and color as it ages inside the barrels due to oxidation and evaporation. Straight bourbons are left to age for at least 2 years, after which they will get bottled.
The next procedure is how this bottling is different from single barrels. Standard bottling typically is a mix of multiple barrels. Here, whiskey gets drawn from the cask and is then diluted using water. During this procedure, bourbon is drawn from several barrels and put in a tank so that consistency can be maintained with its flavor.
Small Batch Bourbon
There isn’t any clear-cut or legal definition for “small batch”. However, this term was coined by the industry to explain a different product style in the bourbon world.
These bourbons are typically made by mixing contents from a few chosen single barrels. In the end, a bottle of bourbon that has a rich and unique blend will be created.
When compared with the other 2 bottling procedures, this bottling procedure is quite more complicated. The selected barrels have to go well together and complement each other. Hence, the barrels have to be carefully selected.
While the process involved is similar to that of standard bottling, it’s done on a smaller scale. So, the product will have a distinct character from a standard product, and still be consistent.
Because of the selection process of bourbons with similar flavor profiles, the product’s flavor remains rich yet stays relatively unique.
As we have said, there isn’t any formal definition for this term. Hence, what falls under this category is quite subjective. For instance, a large distiller may use more than a hundred select barrels but still call the product “small batch”.
The product would qualify as a “small batch” to them, however, for a smaller distiller that doesn’t use more than ten barrels, this figure is massive.
Generally, small-batch bourbons are ideally premium purchases. So, if you are looking for a more unique flavor and don’t want to pay more for a single barrel, then this would suit your needs.
Single Barrel Bourbon
As you can guess from the name, a single-barrel bourbon bottle of whiskey only contains whiskey from one barrel. The production, barreling, and aging process of single barrel bourbons are just like that of standard bourbon. But the main difference between them is instead of bottling whiskey from several barrels, only one barrel is drawn. They are classed as premium whiskey.
The taste and color of this type of bourbon are usually not the same. This is because the barrel’s location in the warehouse typically affects the flavor of a batch. However, even though each barrel has its unique flavor profile, bourbons from a distiller will show a specific flavor. Each bottle typically features the aging procedure dates and the barrel number. You can visit https://en.wikipedia.org/ to learn more about single barrel whiskey.
Conclusion
Single barrel bourbons are typically considered premium when compared to standard and small-batch bourbons. This is because unlike the other two, they are drawn from just one barrel and have a distinct taste and flavor.
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