Long Road Distillers

What is Bourbon? Part 4: “…and stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in charred new oak containers.”

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In Part 4 of our “What is Bourbon” series, we dig into the final requirement for a spirit to be considered bourbon – the aging process – and how that can impact not only how a bourbon tastes, but also how it is labeled.

First, as a bit of a refresher, recall that the legal definition of bourbon whisky, according to the TTB, is:

Whisky produced in the U.S. at not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn and stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in charred new oak containers.

 

For those new to whisk(e)y or unfamiliar with the process, it’s often a surprise that it all comes off the still clear. It’s only through the aging process in a barrel that the spirit gains it’s familiar caramel or amber colors. The barrel also contributes many of the flavors and aromas we’ve come to expect from our favorite whiskies.

This portion of the definition really covers two details: the storage in a barrel and a limit on the alcohol by volume during said storage.

Before we jump into both details, it’s fair to ask: why is whisky barrel aged at all? The answer is a practical one. Back when whisky was first distilled, the best way to store and ship the finished product was in wooden casks. As we touched on in Part 1, Bourbon whisky, in particular, was shipped down the Ohio River to New Orleans in wooden barrels marked for Bourbon Street. Most spirits of the day would have been stored in barrels, but only over time did people realize the benefits of barrel aging.

American Oak must be used in the making of bourbon barrels. Oak has a unique physical and chemical nature that allows it to be manipulated into a barrel, but also has a tight enough grain that it will not leak while still allowing oxygen to move in and out of the spirit.

Beyond these physical characteristics, though, the oak offers three effects on an aging spirit:

  1. It adds to the taste and aroma of the spirit, such as vanillins, lactones, and wood sugars
  2. It acts as a filter, removing undesirable elements from the spirit such as sulfur compounds
  3. It converts unpleasant compounds, such as acetic acid, into more organoleptically desirable elements, like fruity esters

 

Essentially, the chemical breakdown of the wood sugars contributes flavors that are desirable, while the wood and char combine to contribute spice and toast characteristics.

The second half of this section relates to the proof/abv during the aging process. The Standards of Identity from the TTB requires that the spirit enter the barrel at no higher than 125 proof or 62.5% alcohol by volume. One reason for this is tradition. Early distillery equipment likely didn’t distill the spirit to a very high proof.

The second reason to maintain an upper limit on proof is to keep the level of extraction from getting too out of hand. If you’ve tasted a lot of whiskies, chances are that you’ve run across a whisky that was “over-extracted”. By this, we mean too oaky and on the verge of tasting like a stale cigarette. The higher the proof of the spirit in the barrel, the more quickly it will pull flavors from the barrel and the less time it will have to mellow out and interact with the char, providing the filtering effect.

The length of time the spirits rests in a barrel impacts the final characteristics, too. In general, the longer a spirits rests, the more mellow it will become. Nearly all whisky that is aged less than two years requires a statement of age on the label. This gets into some of the different indicators you can look for on a bottle of bourbon. For example:

Straight Bourbon – must be aged a minimum of two years.

Bottled in Bond Bourbon – must be aged a minimum of four years, distilled in a single season, and bottled at 100 proof.

Finally, the size of the barrel has an impact on the aging process, flavors, aromas and finish of a whisky as well. The smaller the barrel, the greater the surface area-to-volume ratio there is between the wood barrel and the resting whisky. In turn, the smaller the barrel, the faster the aging process and the more flavor will be pulled from the wood. Many start-up distilleries will use 5, 10, or 15 gallon barrels to age their first-release whiskies more quickly, versus opting for a traditional 53 gallon barrel. While this does speed up the process, a distiller also runs the risk of overextraction of tannins, oak, and undesirable flavors, without allowing time for mellowing.

For our Straight Bourbon Whisky, we have used 53 gallon Independent Stave Company (ISC) barrels with a #3 (medium) char and light toast. The whisky was aged for over 2 years, with other barrels still hanging out in the warehouse for a later release.

We’re excited to share this special release with you beginning at 4pm on Tuesday, April 10. Stay tuned for more information about finding it at bars, restaurants and retailers beginning in May!

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Long Road Distillers

What is Bourbon? Part 3: “…from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn…”

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For Part 3 of our “What is Bourbon” series, we look at the ingredients that make bourbon bourbon. It may seem straight forward, but when you really dig into the Code of Federal Regulations (and the Beverage Alcohol Manual from the TTB, in particular), you learn there are 42 different “types” of whisky, all with different defining characteristics – but many that are VERY slight.

First, as a bit of a refresher, recall that the legal definition of bourbon whisky, according to the TTB, is:

Whisky produced in the U.S. at not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn and stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in charred new oak containers.

 

So, why corn? The simplest answer is “corn is what was available”. When the early bourbon distillers of Kentucky began making whisky, corn was cheap and easy to come by. Once bourbon became popular, though, many people tried to pass their blended whisky or neutral spirits off as bourbon. To help guide the industry, the Federal government made several decisions around the end of the 19th century like the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 (to separate straight whiskies from blended whiskies) and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 (that first regulated what could be called Bourbon). And in the 1909 “Decision on Whisky”, President Taft determined that Bourbon Whisky must be made from a majority corn. But, it wasn’t until the fall of Prohibition that the government finally laid out the Standard’s of Identity for Distilled Spirits (SIDS) – which is part of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Part 5 – a chapter we as distillers refer to nearly every day. First adopted in 1935, the SIDS is where we get the definition above and the mandate that bourbon must have not less than 51% corn in the mash bill.

Although corn must be the predominant ingredient in a bourbon’s mash bill (recipe), most bourbon contains two or three other grains as well. Wheat and Rye are often used as “flavoring” ingredients in bourbon, and Malted Barley almost always makes up a percentage of the mash bill to offer enzymes that aid in fermentation and flavor development. Wheated Bourbon is known to hold up better over long stretches in a barrel. Bourbon with heavier doses of rye in the mash bill will have a bit more spice characteristic. Once you know the 51% rule, you can more easily define other whiskies, too. Rye whisky must contain not less than 51% rye. Wheat whisky must contain 51% or more wheat. And so on.

As a new distillery with new equipment and lots of ideas about mash bills for our whisky, the Long Road team decided to offer a series of experimental whiskies that we call the Wayfarer’s Whisky Series. These whiskies were small batch (some as small as a single 30 gallon barrel) and span several different class/types of whiskies. Over the past few years, we’ve released Wheat Whisky, Rye Whisky, and Malt Whisky, all milled, mashed, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled 100% on-site from locally grown ingredients.

With our Bourbon, we wanted to try a few different mash bills to determine what we liked best and what we wanted to invest in heavily for decades to come. Our team landed on four unique mash bills:

  • Batch BB01 – THE FOUR GRAIN BOURBON
    • 63% Yellow Corn
    • 17% Rye
    • 13% Red Winter Wheat
    • 7% Malted Barley
  • Batch BB02 – THE HIGH CORN & RYE BOURBON
    • 81% Yellow Corn
    • 12% Rye
    • 7% Malted Barley
  • Batch BB03 – THE WHEATED BOURBON
    • 65% Yellow Corn
    • 28% Red Winter Wheat
    • 7% Malted Barley
  • Batch BB04 – THE HIGH CORN & WHEAT BOURBON
    • 81% Yellow Corn
    • 12% Red Winter Wheat
    • 7% Malted Barley

Each mash bill provided incredibly distinct flavor profiles, aromas, and finishes. The high wheat offered lots of vanilla, butterscotch, and caramel flavors. The high rye was more earthy with peppery spice notes.

After experimenting with these different mash bills, we scaled two of them to store in 53 gallon barrels for several years.

On Tuesday, April 10, we’ll be releasing the first batch of Long Road Straight Bourbon – the result of years of work, fine-tuning, and waiting.

At Long Road, we’re proud to use all Michigan-grown corn, wheat, rye and barley, and handcraft every one of our spirits from scratch on-site. By partnering with farmers like Denny Heffron (Heffron Farms, Belding, MI) and Byron Center-based Pilot Malt House, we are able to create spirits that have a sense of place – offering uniquely Michigan characteristics that you won’t get anywhere else.

Stay tuned for Part 4 of the “What is Bourbon” series: “…and stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in charred new oak containers,” where we’ll explain the barrel aging process and its purpose!  

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Long Road Distillers

Long Road Distillers Honored as One of the 2018 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”

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Grand Rapids distillery to be recognized by Michigan Celebrates Small Business at Annual Gala in May.

Grand Rapids, MI – Long Road Distillers has been recognized as one of the 2018 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

Long Road will be honored at an awards ceremony during the 14th annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala in Lansing, Michigan on May 3, 2018.

Long Road Distillers is a craft distillery on the west side of Grand Rapids that produces an award winning line-up of spirits, including vodka, whisky, aquavit, gin and more, all from locally sourced ingredients. In addition to running a bar and restaurant attached to their distillery, Long Road has garnered distribution of their products in over 800 on- and off-premise accounts throughout Michigan, as well as international acclaim for their spirits. Recent awards include “Best of Show” honors at competitions in San Francisco, Denver, New York, Berlin and more.

“We’re honored to accept this award on behalf of the Long Road team,” said Jon O’Connor, co-founder and co-owner of Long Road Distillers. “It’s a privilege for us to work in such an exciting industry, but also to be a part of the small business community that contributes so much to our state. We look forward to continued innovation and growth as a company, and are excited by the challenge of living up the ’50 to Watch’ title.”

Companies making it to the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” list are a remarkable group of second-stage companies. Defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants, these companies form the backbone of Michigan’s economy. Representing all regions of the state and a diverse range of industries, companies like Long Road Distillers are known for their exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, creation of innovation or use of innovation in creative ways, and their sustainable competitive advantage.

Winners were selected by Michigan-based judges from the banking, economic development, entrepreneurship development, and venture capital communities.

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About Long Road Distillers:

Long Road Distillers was born from the belief that making world-class spirits means never taking shortcuts along the way. After becoming the first craft distillery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Long Road Distillers formed relationships with local farmers to bring that mission to Grand Rapids’ West Side neighborhood. Each spirit produced at Long Road Distillers is milled from locally sourced ingredients, fermented, and distilled on-site. The result is an uncompromised lineup of spirits including Vodka, Gin, Whisky and more. Their spirits, along with a handcrafted collection of cocktails and a wide variety of food can be enjoyed at their tasting room on Leonard Street. www.LongRoadDistillers.com

About Michigan Celebrates Small Business:

Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. The program received over 600 award nominations in 2018.

Founding sponsors are the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, PNC Bank, AF Group, and Dynamic Edge, Inc.

The Michigan Small Business Development Center is the managing partner of Michigan Celebrates Small Business in 2018. Michigan Celebrates Small Business was founded by the Michigan Small Business Development Center, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, U.S. Small Business Administration – Michigan, Edward Lowe Foundation, Michigan Business Network, and the Small Business Association of Michigan.

Information about Michigan Celebrates Small Business can be found at www.MichiganCelebrates.biz.

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Long Road Distillers

What is Bourbon? Part 2: “…at not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof)…”

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Today, we wade into a lesser-known part of the definition of Bourbon, which also means it’s a bit less controversial.

First, as a bit of a refresher, recall that the legal definition of bourbon whisky, according to the TTB, is:

Whisky produced in the U.S. at not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn and stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in charred new oak containers.

 

The phrase “Alcohol by Volume” (ABV), when associated with a percentage, is quite literally what it sounds like: the measure of the content of ethanol (alcohol) in an alcoholic beverage by volume. It is required by the Code of Federal Regulations for distilled spirits labels to include the ABV on the front of the bottle.

The term “proof”, while not required on spirits labels, is often included, particularly when it comes to whisk(e)y. The history of the term dates back to the 16th century and involves gun powder, taxes, and rum – a fun history indeed, but something for another blog post! The easiest way to understand proof in the United States is simply twice the ABV of an alcoholic beverage. So, a 100 proof whisky has an ABV of 50%.

This part of the definition has to do with the ABV/proof of the spirit as it comes off the still. Distillers are able to change the conditions in the still to control the ABV/proof during distillation, including the amount of heat applied to the mash, the amount of plates the alcohol vapor comes in contact with, or the amount of cooling water in the condensers that will cause reflux and re-distillation, just to name a few. The mandate here is to keep the spirit coming off of the still at or below 80% alcohol or 160 proof.

The question one could ask is: why limit this?

The answer: Taste and aroma.

The process