Sour mash is the name for a process in the distilling industry that uses material from an older batch of
mashIn brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture with pauses at certain temperatures to allow the enzymes in the malt to break down the starch in the...
to start fermentation in the batch currently being made, similar to the making of
sourdoughSourdough is a dough containing a lactobacillus culture, usually in symbiotic combination with yeasts. It is one of two principal means of leavening in bread baking, along with the use of cultivated forms of yeast . It is of particular importance in baking rye-based breads, where yeast does not...
bread. It was developed by either
Dr. James C. CrowDoctor James C. Crow was the Scottish creator of the sour mash process for creating Bourbon Whiskey.Dr. Crow came to Kentucky in 1823 and began working for a distiller, bringing his scientific and medical training to the process.Dr. James C...
or Dr. Jason S. Amburgey while they were working at the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery (now the
Woodford Reserve DistilleryWoodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch bourbon whiskey made in the Labrot & Graham's Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, near Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky. The name was changed to The Woodford Reserve Distillery in 2003. The distillery is located in the heart of the horse farming...
) in
Woodford CountyWoodford County is a county located in the heart of the Bluegrass region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 23,208. Its county seat is Versailles. The county is named for General William Woodford, who was with General George Washington at Valley Forge...
,
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
. Sour mash is not a type or flavor of whiskey, as is commonly thought.
The mash is the mixture of malted grain and water from which the raw "beer" is made.
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Sour mash is the name for a process in the distilling industry that uses material from an older batch of
mashIn brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture with pauses at certain temperatures to allow the enzymes in the malt to break down the starch in the...
to start fermentation in the batch currently being made, similar to the making of
sourdoughSourdough is a dough containing a lactobacillus culture, usually in symbiotic combination with yeasts. It is one of two principal means of leavening in bread baking, along with the use of cultivated forms of yeast . It is of particular importance in baking rye-based breads, where yeast does not...
bread. It was developed by either
Dr. James C. CrowDoctor James C. Crow was the Scottish creator of the sour mash process for creating Bourbon Whiskey.Dr. Crow came to Kentucky in 1823 and began working for a distiller, bringing his scientific and medical training to the process.Dr. James C...
or Dr. Jason S. Amburgey while they were working at the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery (now the
Woodford Reserve DistilleryWoodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch bourbon whiskey made in the Labrot & Graham's Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, near Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky. The name was changed to The Woodford Reserve Distillery in 2003. The distillery is located in the heart of the horse farming...
) in
Woodford CountyWoodford County is a county located in the heart of the Bluegrass region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 23,208. Its county seat is Versailles. The county is named for General William Woodford, who was with General George Washington at Valley Forge...
,
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
. Sour mash is not a type or flavor of whiskey, as is commonly thought.
The mash is the mixture of malted grain and water from which the raw "beer" is made. In the sour-mash process an established and active strain of live
yeastYeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans. Most reproduce asexually by budding, although a few do so by binary fission...
is introduced into the grain and water mixture that is to be fermented. By using an established and known fermented "sour", this fermentation process controls the introduction and growth of foreign bacteria and yeasts that could damage the whiskey, and improves the consistency and quality of the liquor, so that every bottle tastes as close to the same as possible. Sour mash is popular in
bourbon whiskeyBourbon is an American whiskey, a type of distilled spirit, made primarily from corn and named for Bourbon County, Kentucky. It has been produced since the 18th century.- Legal requirements :...
and
Tennessee whiskeyTennessee whiskey or Tennessee whisky is a sour mash of American whiskey that undergoes a filtering stage called the Lincoln County Process, in which the whiskey is filtered through a thick layer of maple charcoal before it is put into casks for aging. This step gives the whiskey a distinctive flavor...
.
Sour mash whiskey brands
- Ancient Age
Ancient Age is a brand of bourbon whiskey distilled in Frankfort, Kentucky at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, and aged there in large warehouses which literally seem to overhang the Kentucky River, which flows through the city in a deep gorge....
- Basil Hayden's
Basil Hayden's is the lightest bodied bourbon whiskey in the family of Jim Beam small batch bourbons. It is 80 proof in contrast with its three sibling brands of higher concentration ....
- Evan Williams
Evan Williams is a brand of bourbon whiskey which is bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky at the Heaven Hill facility. It is aged for a minimum of four years and is sold for a relatively modest price....
- Ezra Brooks
Ezra Brooks is a brand of Bourbon .-Location:The Ezra Brooks brand is owned by Luxco of St. Louis, Missouri. ; which doesn't own a distillery...
- George Dickel
George Dickel is the name of a brand of Tennessee whisky manufactured in Cascade Hollow, Tennessee, near Tullahoma. The brand is now owned by Diageo PLC. Three whiskies are produced at the George Dickel Distillery: George Dickel Old No. 8 Brand, Superior No. 12 Brand, and Barrel Select Tennessee...
- Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors and is known for its square bottles and black label. It has been prominently featured in movies, songs, and novels, and is strongly linked to rock and roll, country music, American biker culture, Jimmy...
- Jim Beam
Jim Beam is a brand of bourbon whiskey. It is currently the best selling brand of bourbon in the world. Founded in 1795, the Jim Beam distillery has been family operated for seven generations. The brand was given the name “Jim Beam” in 1933 after Colonel James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business...
- Knob Creek
Knob Creek is a bourbon produced by the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. It is part of Jim Beam's line of small-batch bourbons tapping into the high-end liquor market. Its siblings in the line are Booker's, Baker's, and Basil Hayden's....
- Maker's Mark
Maker’s Mark is a handcrafted, small-batch bourbon whisky distilled in Loretto, Kentucky. It is sold in unusually-shaped squarish bottles, which are sealed with red wax. The distillery is located near Loretto, Kentucky. It offers tours, and is part of the American Whiskey Trail and the Kentucky...
- Old Crow
Old Crow is a relatively low-priced brand of Kentucky bourbon whiskey, distilled by Fortune Brands, which also produces Jim Beam and several other brands of bourbon whiskey. The Old Crow brand has a venerable history as one of Kentucky's earliest bourbons, and is distinctive for being the first...
- Old Fitzgerald
Old Fitzgerald is a brand of sour mash bourbon distilled in Louisville, Kentucky. Beginning in 1870, Old Fitzgerald was first produced for rail and steamship lines and private clubs primarily located in the south by John E. Fitzgerald in Frankfort, Kentucky. Around 1900, "Old Fitz" was released to...
- Rebel Yell
Rebel Yell is a brand of bourbon whiskey distilled and bottled at the Bernheim distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Rebel Yell is an 80-proof Kentucky straight bourbon.-History:...
- Ten High
Ten High is a brand of Bourbon whiskey. Unlike other whiskies in its price range, notably Canadian whiskies, Ten High was once not blended.According to the label, it has been in production since 1879....
- Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey distilled and bottled by the Austin, Nichols division of Campari Group. Its nicknames include "The Dirty Bird," "Gobble Gobble," "Thunder Chicken," "Boat Gas" and "The Kickin’ Chicken", the last being a reference to the 101 proof of its...
- Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch bourbon whiskey made in the Labrot & Graham's Old Oscar Pepper Distillery, near Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky. The name was changed to The Woodford Reserve Distillery in 2003. The distillery is located in the heart of the horse farming...