Narrator: BOURBON WHISKEY
IS UNIQUELY AMERICAN.
THE U.S. CONGRESS
OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED IT
AS A PRODUCT
DISTINCT TO THE NATION.
THIS AMBER-HUED BREW
WAS FIRST COOKED UP
BY SCOTTISH AND IRISH SETTLERS
IN LATE 18th CENTURY KENTUCKY.
TODAY,
PRODUCTION CONTINUES THERE
WITH THE APPROVAL OF CONGRESS.
THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
REGULATES THE MAKING OF BOURBON
TO KEEP THIS NATIVE SPIRIT
TRUE TO TRADITION.
BY LAW, IT MUST BE MADE
FROM A GRAIN MIX
THAT'S AT LEAST 51% CORN.
DISTILLERS
OFTEN USE MORE FOR FLAVOR.
SHAKERS SIFT OUT COBS
OR OTHER FOREIGN MATERIAL,
AND THE KERNELS
HEAD INTO A GRINDER.
INSIDE,
ROLLERS CRUSH THE KERNELS
TO RELEASE
THE FLAVOR OF THE STARCH.
THE PROCESS LEAVES LARGER CHUNKS
OF THE CORN GERM AND HUSKS.
ONCE DISTILLED,
THESE BITS WILL SETTLE OUT.
IN SEPARATE BATCHES, THE MACHINE
ALSO GRINDS MALTED BARLEY
AND SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT.
THEY COOK THE CORN AND BLEND IT
WITH LIMESTONE-RICH,
IRON-FREE KENTUCKY WATER.
THEY ADD THE BARLEY,
WINTER WHEAT,
AND A BIT OF MASH
FROM A PREVIOUS BATCH.
ALONG WITH A SPECIAL YEAST
FORMULATION, THE GRAIN MASH
FLOWS INTO FERMENTATION TANKS
MADE OF CYPRESS WOOD.
AFTER 8 TO 10 HOURS,
THE YEAST WORKS ITS MAGIC
AND THE MASH
BECOMES A BUBBLING BREW.
THE BUBBLING IS CAUSED
BY THE RELEASE
OF CARBON-DIOXIDE GAS
AS THE GRAIN SUGARS FERMENT
AND BECOME ALCOHOL.
AFTER THREE DAYS,
IT HAS FERMENTED
INTO A THICK LIQUID
THEY CALL 'DISTILLER'S BEER."
THEY PUMP IT INTO A COLUMN STILL
WHICH BOILS OFF THE ALCOHOL,
LEAVING WATER
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES BEHIND.
THE ALCOHOLIC VAPOR RISES UP
TO BE CONDENSED INTO LIQUID.
AFTER DISTILLING IT
A SECOND TIME,
THE ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION
RISES TO A STRONG 130 PROOF.
IT'S CLEAR,
WITH NO NOTICEABLE COLOR.
AT THIS STAGE,
THEY CALL IT "WHITE DOG."
ONCE WATER HAS BEEN ADDED
TO DILUTE THE WHISKEY
TO 110 PROOF,
AN EMPLOYEE TAKES A SAMPLE
AND SENDS IT TO THE LAB.
THERE, A TECHNICIAN PLACES
A TEST TUBE OF THE ALCOHOL
INTO A GAS CHROMATOGRAPH TESTER.
IT VAPORIZES THE ALCOHOL
AND THEN ANALYZES THE FLAVOR
COMPOUNDS AND ALCOHOL STRENGTH.
WITH APPROVAL FROM THE LAB,
THEY'RE READY
TO BARREL THE BATCH.
THEY PUMP IT OUT OF STORAGE
TANKS AND INTO NEW OAK BARRELS
THAT HAVE BEEN PURPOSELY CHARRED
ON THE INSIDE.
CHARRING CARAMELIZES
NATURALLY OCCURRING WOOD SUGARS
TO ADD SWEETNESS
TO THE ALCOHOL AS IT AGES.
IT WILL ALSO TURN THE CLEAR
ALCOHOL AN AMBER COLOR.
ONCE CORKED
WITH A WALNUT STOPPER,
THE EMPLOYEE ROLLS THE BARREL
INTO A MULTI-TIERED WAREHOUSE.
HERE, THE BOURBON
WILL AGE FOR MANY YEARS.
PARTWAY THROUGH,
THEY'LL MOVE THE BARREL
TO ANOTHER LEVEL OF THE BUILDING
DUE TO TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS.
THIS WILL MAKE THE PRODUCT
MORE CONSISTENT.
AFTER SIX TO SEVEN YEARS,
THEY UNCORK THE STOPPER
AND INSERT STEEL TUBES
TO DRAW IN AMBIENT AIR.
THIS CAUSES THE BOURBON
TO FLOW FREELY WHEN TIPPED,
AND IT GUSHES INTO A TROUGH.
THE ALCOHOL HAS RIPENED
TO A SWEET CARAMEL-COLORED BREW.
AFTER THEY ADD MORE WATER
TO MAKE IT 90 PROOF,
IT'S READY FOR BOTTLING.
NOZZLES FILL THE BOTTLES
WITH BOURBON RIGHT TO THE NECK.
THE BOTTLES THEN CIRCLE
OVER TO THE CAP APPLICATORS.
THE APPLICATORS SPIN METAL CAPS,
SCREWING THEM ONTO THE BOTTLES.
THE BOTTLES THEN RIDE A CAROUSEL
AND A DEVICE
PICKS UP AND APPLIES THE LABELS.
A BRUSH SMOOTHES THEM
TO THE BOTTLES.
DOWN THE LINE, A TWO-PERSON TEAM
RETRIEVES THE BOTTLES
AND DIPS THE CAPS IN HOT WAX.
THE WAX QUICKLY DRIES AND
SOLIDIFIES TO GIVE THE BOURBON
A BETTER SEAL.
AFTER SEVERAL YEARS
IN THE DISTILLERY,
THIS KENTUCKY BOURBON
HAS COME OF AGE,
AND THAT CALLS FOR A TOAST.
