If whiskey is your spirit of choice read on: We compiled some information with our friends at Laws Whiskey so you can brush up your knowledge of this culturally rich spirit.

Fun Fact - In 1964 the United States Congress declared bourbon whiskey to be a distinctive product of the United States of America. It no longer had to be made in Kentucky to be considered a bourbon.

How to taste a whiskey for the first time

1. To best understand it, try a new whiskey neat (no ice), embracing its full flavor profile.

2. Nose the whiskey slowly with a partially open mouth to awaken the olfactory senses.

3. Take the first small sip without over analyzing it and roll it around the mouth, stimulating your
taste buds.

4. Let the initial heat settle and after the palate has become acclimatized then...

5. Repeat Step 2 and take a second sip. Embrace all the flavors you are experiencing — especially the finish. A great whiskey finishes long on the palate.

6. Now you are ready to enjoy the whiskey however you prefer it: Neat, with a splash of water, on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail.

Fun Fact - All bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. There are a number of distinctive categories of whiskey including rye, Scotch, Irish, Canadian and Japanese varieties.

Legal Definitions

Whiskey: A grain distillate that has the characteristics generally associated with whiskey.

Bourbon: A grain distillate made in America with a minimum of 51% corn.

Rye: A grain distillate made with a minimum of 51% rye, aged in new charred oak barrels (better ryes are over 90%
rye grain).

Straight: A straight whiskey (rye or bourbon) can only have five ingredients: grain, water, yeast, oak barrels (new charred white oak barrels) and time (aging a minimum of two years).

Bottled in Bond: A straight whiskey aged in new charred white oak for at least four years in a government bonded warehouse, made in one season, at one distillery by one distiller and bottled at 100 proof. Nothing may be added except water.

Fun Fact - The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was America’s first consumer protection law. It set standards around the whiskey people were drinking. Nothing like tackling the important stuff first, Congress!

-Compliments of Thirst Staff & Laws Whiskey