SPIRIT SPOTLIGHT: Bourbon
by Carrie Powell-Davidson

Several years ago, while supervising my bartending students at the Best Western Cowichan Valley Inn, the Managing Director, Kurt Pyrch and I were discussing his back bar. I noticed that he had an unusually large selection of bourbons and I made the comment that of all the spirits that I have tried, bourbon was the only one I couldn’t stomach. Determined to sway me south, Kurt began to sing the praises of America’s classic potable. As impressed as I was by the man’s knowledge and passion, I was unconvinced… until last September.

Alas dear readers, my life is a continual search for perfection to pass onto you. While touring around New York in the fall, I was on the prowl for the best Manhattan recipe. While I did find the finest Manhattan (recipe to follow), I also stumbled across a bourbon that made a believer out of this die-hard Canadian whiskey fan. It’s called Old Forester Bonded Bourbon. Unfortunately, it’s not available in BC so if you are making a trek to the States, you might want to pick up a bottle. 

Discovering Old Forester made me want to reconnect with Kurt. I needed to find out what was available in BC that might be comparable to Old Forester. I also now needed to learn more about this mysterious spirit that had eluded my attention for so long.

Corny Beginnings
Surprise! Pennsylvania, not Kentucky, is the birthplace of American whisky. Another surprise - it was not made from corn. America’s native spirit arrived with the first Scottish/Irish settlers well over 200 years ago. With the ensuing revolution, Washington (himself a noted whisky producer) imposed a tax on whisky production to help pay for the battle. The settlers did not take kindly to this and refused to pay. To solve the problem, Washington offered incentives to the settlers if they relocated to Kentucky, which was part of Virginia at the time. The move had a huge impact on future whisky production because whisky was made primarily from rye. The Governor of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, offered the settlers 60 acres to grow “native corn”. Corn, however, was too perishable and bulky to transport so turning it into whisky was the only option. While very little, if any, whisky is actually made in Bourbon County today, the product is believed to have been named by Reverend Elijah Craig. Hailing from Bourbon County, Craig was one of the earliest producers of whisky and he named his product after his home county. In 1964, a Congressional Resolution was passed to protect the term “bourbon” and stipulated that all bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn. The resolution does not specify that all bourbon must come from Kentucky, but 99% of it does.

It’s All In The Mash
Bourbon is made in one of two ways, either by using a sweet-mash or a sour-mash process. The difference is in the method used to begin the fermentation process. For sweet-mash, the fermentation starts with the addition of entirely new yeasts. The sour-mash method relies on yeasts containing residue from previous distillations. The smoother and slightly more flavourful whiskey produced using the sour-mash technique is preferred by purists like Kurt Pyrch. “Sour mash is the basis for many bourbons. It has very distinctive qualities - think sour dough bread.”

To Mix or Not To Mix
“No,” exclaims Pyrch. “I strongly urge people who like good whiskey (note: Canadian and Irish spell whiskey with an “e”, American and Scottish do not) to try bourbon straight up not in a kiddy pop cocktail.” He recommends that to get the true sense of the spirit, treat it like a scotch and add 1-2 ice cubes or maybe a little branch water. He adds that the distiller expects you to add a little water and that is why they distill it at a higher rate.

Pyrch Picks
In BC, we have about 18 bourbons available to us, but as the demand for higher-end products continues to grow amongst the baby boomers (and the younger set who see the higher-end products as “trendy”), so does our selection. Pyrch says his best sellers are Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s while his personal favourite is Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel. “J.D. is the smoothest but actually Jim Beam does go well with a little 7-up. The sour mash matches well with the lemon and lime in the 7.” He is also partial to Wild Turkey, which he always recommends when playing cards. He hasn’t tried the Pappy Van Winkle’s but at nearly $200.00 a bottle, expects it to be “not bad”. Buffalo Trace is making some noise. Both Kurt and the folks at the LDB have heard it is supposed to be really good.

Sampling these products to find the right bourbon for you can be expensive. Websites such as www.straightbourbon.com are helpful with tasting comments, or better yet, go see Kurt at the Cowichan Valley Inn. He’s got a great selection and he’s adding to it all the time. “People should try them [bourbons],” says Pyrch. “It’s one more fun thing to do with your time!”