America’s homegrown whiskey has turn into probably the most in style pours around. And with so many bottles flooding the market, the backbar has turned right into a crowded panorama, one that would easily 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 outstanding bourbon choices, shares his rules for picking, sipping and mixing America’s favorite spirit.

Read the Label

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

«Straight is what you want to look for before everything when you’re searching the cabinets,» he says. «It means they’re not adding anything to or adulterating the product, so you’re getting the real deal.»

He additionally recommends looking for the age statement on the label, although he’s quick to note that you simply won’t always find it. And especially if it’s from a newer producer, that usually means that bourbon is on the younger side. By law, straight bourbon have to be aged for a minimum of two years.

Seek Out Worth

«If you’re spending more than $forty, you’re probably doing it wrong,» says Williams. In fact, when you’re a collector looking for extra-aged Pappy Van Winkle, expect to pay a premium. But for these just starting out, affordable bourbons abound. Williams recommends Wild Turkey 101 («wonderful juice at a reasonable value 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 may be quite totally 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 want 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 enhance this expertise, he says, but a glass with a broad base and tapered top «to capture aromas and funnel them upwards» will do the trick. In lieu of a Glencairn, he typically makes use of Old Fashioned or rocks glasses with an identical, slightly tapered shape.

Don’t 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 current pattern for uncut, unfiltered, barrel-power whiskeys means that most bourbons really 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.» Nevertheless, 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 related expertise from when I start to after I finish. Strong ice is rarely a bad idea.» For residence use, he recommends silicone molds to freeze sizable chunks that chill successfully but soften slowly.

Attempt an Old Fashioned

«An Old Fashioned can really turn folks on to how wonderful a bourbon experience can 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 intensify the flavors of bourbon slightly than mask them, and «the basic Old Fashioned does that wonderfully.»

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

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