Is sour mash a bourbon?

I was indeed joking about the banana notes in Jack

Chuck,

You say JD can be called bourbon. I am confused in The StraightBourbon FAQ it say the following:

6. Is Jack Daniel's a bourbon? Jack Daniel's, is not considered a bourbon because it is charcoal-mellowed -- slowly, drop by drop, filtered through sugar-maple charcoal -- prior to aging, which many experts say gives it a different character. The process, called the Lincoln County Process, infuses a sweet and sooty character into the distillate as it removes impurities. But up to and after the charcoal filtering, the Jack Daniel's production is much the same as any other Bourbon. Jack Daniel's and George Dickel are two fine Tennessee Whiskeys though neither can be called bourbon.

Can you elaborate. I always understood that under the definition of bourbon this extra step for Tenneesse Whiskey making is the reason it cannot be called a bourbon.

Thanks Dave

Of course, I knew that. But it is true (as no doubt you were alluding) that Jack at times has had a taste reminiscent of banana. Many others have stated this over the years, the point is not new. My point was simply to indicate I think the taste is coming out of the drink.

Gary

I believe (Chuck or Mike Veach would know) that at one time, whiskey made using the Tennessee method was called bourbon, before the Second War.

Gary

Here is taste note on current Jack Black:

Colour: medium-brown

Nose: Notes of fudge or other candy, alcohol soaked timbers, something underneath it, medicinal maybe, or maple, fermented maple

Taste: Rounded and smooth, sweetish, bourbon-like, maybe a little metallic. I don't get yellow or other fruits from this one - at all.

Summary: Very good straight whiskey, call it what you will.

Gary

Quote:

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Originally Posted by whskylvr

Chuck,

You say JD can be called bourbon. I am confused in The StraightBourbon FAQ it say the following:

(snip)

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The FAQ also says:
Kentucky is the only state allowed to put its name on the bottle.

Neither this claim nor the claim that the Lincoln County Process disqualifies Tennessee whiskeys from being called bourbon is supported by the TTB regulations.

Bourbon lore that won't die, perhaps?

I'm so confused about JD being a bourbon or not. I guess technically if it's over 51% corn and aged in new charred oak barrels, it's bourbon? I take it that JD mash is more than 51% corn then?

Of course, it's not really bourbon unless it's Kentucky Bourbon :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ODaniel

I'm so confused about JD being a bourbon or not.

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Allow me to futher confuse the issue.
Fact: No kind of flavoring can be added to boubon.
Jack claims that the maple charcoal adds flavor.

And they add bananas.:slappin:

I had some JD at a party this summer in a manhattan. It was the only non-blended whiskey on the bar so that was my pick. While sipping it at the picnic table with my wife, it tasted like a banana manhattan but it may have been an older bottle as some have said that the banana taste is no longer present.

Maybe they were using charcoal made from banana skins?

If I recall correctly, about the time Bourbon was starting to decline in popularity, the folks at JD decided they wanted to distance themselves from the category.

There is a clause in the TTB regs that say something to the effect that a product .. "possesses the character and attributes normally associated with ..." bourbon in this case ...

JD argued that their product should not be classified as bourbon because the charcoal mellowing process changed the character of JD sufficiently that it no longer possessed the character and attributes normally associated with bourbon ...

So ... TTB (then ATF) did not require them to label the product as bourbon ... they distanced themselves from the category ... and saw a period of great growth while the majority of the bourbon category saw decline.

I could be wrong here ... but that's about how it was told to me ...