March 5 (Reuters) - Jack Daniel’s maker Brown-Forman’s CEO Lawson Whiting said on Wednesday Canadian provinces taking American liquor off store shelves was “worse than a tariff” and a “disproportionate response” to levies imposed by the Trump administration.
Several Canadian provinces have taken U.S. liquor off store shelves as part of retaliatory measures against President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Canadians are steering away from U.S. goods, sports events and trips following the recent imposition of tariffs, which have left them stirred, despite the deep ties between the two countries.
Bourbons have their place, you can’t really make an old fashioned with a scotch … I mean you can … but you shouldn’t. That said you shouldnt use Jack Daniels for one either.
Eh, Jack isn’t really a bourbon. It’s made with a starter but that’s still not really a bourbon. That would be Jim. I don’t particularly care for either, but when I was drinking, I preferred a good Irish or Scottish neat.
Occasionally I liked a cocktail with Cointreau, Tequila and lime on the rocks. I forget what it was called.
It checks all of the legal boxes to be a bourbon, at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak barrels, the aging and proof requirements, made in the US, etc.
Being “made with a starter” isn’t a requirement for bourbon, and I’m honestly not even too sure what you mean by that. I assume it’s probably some reference to it being a sour mash whiskey, but that’s not something that factors into the legal definition of bourbon.
The only thing that arguably makes it not a bourbon is the “Lincoln County Process” of charcoal filtering it before aging in the casks, which is a requirement to be called a “Tennessee Whiskey,” all the other requirements are pretty much the same as bourbon (and it’s worth noting that the 2nd biggest Tennessee Whiskey brand is Prichards, which is actually located in Lincoln County, and doesn’t use that process and has a grandfathered exception to that requirement)
The main nitpick is whether that Lincoln county process can be considered to add color or flavoring, because if it does that would disqualify it from being a bourbon. I’m personally of the opinion that if it’s a filtering process, it’s probably removing flavor and color if anything so not a disqualifier, and even if it did, in the relatively short time it’s in contact with the whiskey it’s probably pretty insignificant and not gonna be all that distinguishable from what the charred oak barrels are going to impact to it over the next 2+ years.
And Tennessee is really the only place that makes the Lincoln County Process a requirement for “Tennessee Whiskey” Pretty much any other government or trade organization (like NAFTA) that has a definition for it basically just leaves it at something like “a straight bourbon whiskey made in Tennessee”
https://www.liquor.com/bourbon-vs-tennessee-whiskey-7153343
That article pretty much just rehashes what I said, and doesn’t touch on what you said about “being made with a starter” so I’m not really clear on why you linked it.
The legal requirements for Tennessee Whiskey are the same as for bourbon + it must be made in Tennessee + charcoal filtering
And since bourbon can be made anywhere in the US, and at least until the next civil war kicks off, Tennessee is still in the US
And since the legal definition for bourbon doesn’t say that you can’t charcoal filter it, and since it’s purpose is to “remove impurities” I think it’s safe to say it’s not adding any color or flavor which would disqualify it. (And one of the big producers doesn’t even need to do it)
I think it’s safe to say that Tennessee Whiskey is bourbon. It just checks a couple extra boxes so it can be marketed as “Tennessee Whiskey” because it makes it sound a little extra special.
Maple. IDC if you want to call it bourbon. I just thought you may want to know the actual difference. Cheers and enjoy your bourbon.