What is Early Times?

[GoodDram]

On the bottle I saw that Early Times says that it is "Kentucky Whiskey." What is that? I know the differences between Bourbon & Tennessee Whiskey, but not Kentucky.

[TNbourbon]

Early Times is 80% bourbon, married with 20% whiskey that is aged in used barrels, thus can't be called bourbon.
Of course, they never really tell you that:
http://www.earlytimes.com/heritage/distillation.asp

[OscarV]

Early Times is 80% bourbon, married with 20% whiskey

What is the "20% whiskey"?

I love the way Early Times states on their web-site,.... "we put new whiskey in charred oak barrels,..."

[cowdery]

It's all the same spirit, they just age about 20% of it in used barrels.

[OscarV]

It's all the same spirit, they just age about 20% of it in used barrels.

Ugh?

I don't get it.

[mozilla]

OscarV, maybe this will help. 8 out of 10 barrels dumped in a batch is whisky in new barrels, and 2 out of 10 barrels dumped to make a batch are whiskey in used barrels. I believe that the 8 barrels could be called bourbon because they use new charred barrels. Where as the other 2 can't because of the use of the used copperage. Hope that helps.

[cowdery]

Here's another way to say the same thing.

I'm going to make 100 gallons of Early Times.

As the whiskey comes out of still, I put the first 80 gallons into new barrels and the last 20 gallons into used barrels.

Approximately four years later (and ignoring the angels share) I have 100 gallons of Early Times.

[Gillman]

I think what he is getting at (OscarV) is that the website of the brand suggests that all the whiskey is aged in charred barrels, yet how can that be if 20% is aged in used barrels?

The answer is the site is being a little cute. The 20% aged in used barrels is in fact aged in charred barrels because those used barrels are charred (maybe even re-charred) before being filled (since they once held Bourbon).

In other words, the reference on the site to charred barrels means in effect new and used charred barrels (note the site is careful not to state that Early Times whiskey is aged in "new" charred barrels because that would suggest 100% of it is so aged, when it is not).

Gary

[OscarV]

So only 20% is aged in used cooperage, how much could they be saving.
I would just go all the with used or none at all and make a bourbon.

[Gillman]

Chuck once explained the economics of that. B-F has certain profit requirements for each brand. To keep ET from slipping under, they used 20% used bourbon barrels, the saving was enough to keep them north of the line. That is how I recall the explanation anyway.

Gary