HANCOCK'S RESERVE Single Barrel

There are now only a handful of distilleries operational in Kentucky, making countless brands according to different specifications.
The bourbon industry has probably the strictest set of laws determining what can and can't be called 'bourbon': curiously these laws refer to manufacturing method rather than location, as none of the current distilleries actually lie in Bourbon, although they are in Kentucky.
- It must be matured in new, charred casks of American white oak.
- No colouring or flavouring of any type.
- It must be matured for at least 2 years (and if a bottle does not bear an age, it is at least 4 years old)
- The mash bill must contain at least 51% corn.
- The distillate must not exceed 80% ABV
Bourbons are very high in vanilla, as American White Oak is naturally high in vanillins. Given that the casks are new and have not had a previous period of extraction (as with Scotch), and the temperatures of the American warehouses are much higher, the pace of maturation is much quicker for bourbons.