Bourbon whisky in Texas

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When you purchase a bottle of straight Bourbon that doesn’t state how old it is, you’re likely getting Bourbon that is at least four years old but not much older

It gets even more complicated than this. To be considered “straight Bourbon,” it must be aged for a minimum of two years in new charred oak containers. If it is aged for less than four years, it must have an age statement somewhere on the bottle that tells buyers how long it was aged

Additionally, the distilled Bourbon must be aged in new charred oak barrels. Though the law doesn’t specify the species of oak, most distilleries use white oak because it is most suited to building a secure, watertight barrel

The best way to recognize a sourced bourbon is to look for a phrase on the bottle label indicating where it's distilled or produced — although this isn't as clear-cut of an indicator as it should be since these can be mixed up from time to time, depending on the company. Most bourbon gets distilled in Kentucky, so it will likely reveal that in its "distilled by" declaration. A "distilled in Indiana" declaration could mean that it's a sourced bourbon since many of them come from MGP or other sourcing companies in the state.

For bourbon purists, it might be time to get off that spirited high horse and join the throngs of whisky lovers embracing the wave of sourced bourbons. Just because the bourbons aren't directly distilled by the entity selling them doesn't mean they're second-class whiskey products — not anymore, at least. Known by various monikers, including MGP or blended bourbons, sourced whiskeys are subjectively rivaling major and small-craft distillers when it comes to pouring quality. After all, what's in the cup and on the tastebuds is what ultimately matters

Sourced Bourbon Is Actually Worth Your Time. Here's Why - Tasting Table When it comes to choosing your bottle of bourbon, don't be so quick to go for the purist of brands. Here's why you should try a sourced one instead.

For over a century, all kinds of activities were taking place far from the eye of the street level observer. The tunnels below New York mimic the fast pace that you see on the surface, creating an underground city of its own. And just like any city, there are vestiges of a forgotten time, when chandeliers hung in public places or when Warhol would have an invite-only party in a president’s private port-of-call. There are still many secrets left in those long forgotten underground tunnels, but you might want to save those discoveries to the excavators

In most cases, sourced bourbon is a fast solution to a short-term problem. New craft distilleries need a source of income while working on their first batches. It can take three or four years for a company to get their first bourbon into the bottle, and many brands need an infusion of income before that time. A sourced product like MGP bourbon may help fill the gap

Non-distiller produced bourbon (same as “sourced bourbon” or “MGP Bourbon”) wasn't even a possibility in the early days of whiskey production. When distilled spirits first gained traction in the United States, each sold spirit often came directly from the person who distilled it. In some cases, a single customer might purchase the liquor from a local retailer who bought the product in bulk from a distiller, but that's as far as the consumer ever got from the whiskey's source. MGP-style bourbon distilleries didn't come into play until the country had sufficient lines of transportation to support such an endeavor

Many brands are aware of the need to gradually introduce consumers to higher-end products. Most people aren’t going to spend the money on a mid- to premium-tier product only to mix it with vermouth and bitters. Which is one reason why large conglomerates such as Pernod Ricard, Diageo and William Grant & Sons produce budget-friendly whiskies that are made to be mixed

Many brands are aware of the need to gradually introduce consumers to higher-end products. Most people aren’t going to spend the money on a mid- to premium-tier product only to mix it with vermouth and bitters. Which is one reason why large conglomerates such as Pernod Ricard, Diageo and William Grant & Sons produce budget-friendly whiskies that are made to be mixed