America’s homegrown whiskey has develop into probably the most in style pours around. And with so many bottles flooding the market, the backbar has turned into a crowded panorama, one that would simply overwhelm the common drinker.

So we discovered a spirit guide. Beau Williams, the owner of Kansas City’s Julep, lauded for having one of the country’s most excellent bourbon choices, shares his guidelines for picking, sipping and mixing America’s favorite spirit.

Read the Label

Step one is to learn to decode bourbon labels, says Williams. «Bourbon is a very broad category,» he says. «It’s necessary to know what the wording means.» For example, he always looks for the phrase straight bourbon.

«Straight is what you want to look for at first whenever you’re searching the shelves,» he says. «It means they’re not adding anything to or adulterating the product, so you’re getting the real deal.»

He also recommends looking for the age statement on the label, although he’s quick to note that you simply won’t always find it. And particularly if it’s from a newer producer, that usually signifies that bourbon is on the younger side. By law, straight bourbon must be aged for at the very least years.

Seek Out Worth

«Should you’re spending more than $40, you’re probably doing it fallacious,» says Williams. In fact, for those who’re a collector looking for additional-aged Pappy Van Winkle, count on to pay a premium. But for these just starting out, affordable bourbons abound. Williams recommends Wild Turkey one zero one («wonderful juice at a reasonable worth level,») and bottlings from Four Roses and Heaven Hill (manufacturers from the latter embody Henry McKenna, Evan Williams and J.T.S. Brown, among others).

Skip the Shot Glass

While the flavors of bourbon will be quite completely different from Scotch whisky, Williams recommends sipping a neat pour from a Glencairn glass, a curved vessel typically reserved for scotch. «Aroma is a large part of your bourbon expertise,» says Williams. «You need a glass that lets you capture the aroma—caramel-y, nutty, etc.—to get you excited and cue up the rest of your senses.»

A shot glass won’t improve this expertise, he says, but a glass with a broad base and tapered top «to seize aromas and funnel them upwards» will do the trick. In lieu of a Glencairn, he typically uses Old Fashioned or rocks glasses with an identical, slightly tapered shape.

Do not Be Afraid of Dilution

«Water is your friend, and don’t be afraid of it,» says Williams. «Individuals think there’s only one way to drink bourbon, and that’s wrongheaded. Water will not be a dealbreaker whatsoever.» The present trend for uncut, unfiltered, barrel-strength whiskeys means that most bourbons truly benefit from some dilution, he says. «It takes off the heat and spice notes and lets the sweetness shine through.»

Upgrade Your Ice

«Bourbon has big, bold flavors,» says Williams. «A little bit of ice and water won’t kill the thing.» However, he’s wary of small, watery items of ice that dilute a spirit too quickly. «I prefer to take my time, and I desire a comparable expertise from once I start to once I finish. Stable ice is rarely a bad idea.» For house use, he recommends silicone molds to freeze sizable chunks that chill effectively but melt slowly.

Strive an Old Fashioned

«An Old Fashioned can really turn people on to how wonderful a bourbon experience could be without drinking it on its own. Ice, a little bit of sugar and bitters may also help bridge the flavour profiles, make it more palatable.» The goal, he says, is to accentuate the flavors of bourbon somewhat than mask them, and «the basic Old Fashioned does that wonderfully.»

«There’s no wrong way to eat bourbon,» says Williams. The only mistake is «not enjoying it while you’re doing it.

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