Distilled: Bold Experiments in Barrel Aging

Plus: Bourbon myths debunked; duck with bourbon-and-orange sauce

As an editor at G&G and of a bourbon newsletter, I often get asked questions about the South’s favorite spirit, like, Does bourbon have to be made in Kentucky? Or, What makes bourbon bourbon? (You probably know the answers to those—no, and, well, several things.) But what about how long bourbon must be aged? Or if limestone-filtered water is really the secret to Kentucky’s bourbon? Contributor Tom Wilmes dives into those answers and other “myths” that persist in the bourbon world. Speaking of aging, we also take a look at some far-out methods distillers are experimenting with to get the most from the spirit’s time in the barrel (did someone say “sonic bombardment”?). And cookbook author Katherine Cobbs gives the venerable duck-and-orange pairing a bourbon-infused update. Welcome back to Distilled—we’re looking forward to bringing you lots more bourbon-soaked stories this year.

Bourbons aged at sea, on the river, by music, and more bold experiments.

Must bourbon be aged two years? Is Tennessee whiskey bourbon? And who did invent bourbon? We dig into some persistent stories around the spirit.

Colby Kress is the bar manager at the downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, location of the Crunkleton, the renowned cocktail and whiskey bar that Gary Crunkleton founded in Chapel Hill in 2008. “Our back wall of spirits offers over five hundred bottles ranging from vintage bourbons made in the 1950s to all the current offerings in the bourbon world,” Kress says. “I love serving drinks and interacting with guests at the bar. There is a special bond that seems to happen when I make them something they haven’t had before.”

What’s the most popular bourbon you’re pouring?
There are some Old Forester bourbons on our wall that move pretty swiftly. Our guests seem to order a lot of Woodford Reserve, too. Both have high-rye mash bills that are very approachable to just about any whiskey drinker.

What’s the bourbon you’re drinking after-hours?
I enjoy Old Forester, especially the single-barrel releases. The nutty banana bread flavor they offer is very nostalgic for me. When I was growing up, my mother would make banana bread every week, and it reminds me of being home in the kitchen anxiously waiting to get a fresh piece.

What’s your dream bottle?
The bottle I think about the most but can never seem to find is Michter’s 20 Year. It has a wonderful dark chocolate finish with the perfect amount of oak and stone fruit on the nose without being astringent like a lot of other bourbons aged a long time.

Your most popular bourbon cocktail?
The most popular on the menu is always the old-fashioned. We make it using a combination of bourbon and rye whiskey. We also offer it aged in a five-gallon barrel, which allows the flavors to meld together. I often tell guests that day-old chili tastes better than real-time chili.

And your favorite bourbon cocktail?
The boulevardier. The balance of bitter and sweet works magic. It warms you in the winter and cools you off in the summer.

Is there a new brand or bourbon you’re excited about?
I’m most excited currently about Peerless Distilling. Peerless goes back over a hundred years, closed down right before Prohibition, and was resurrected again in 2015. Its standards of using a sweet mash instead of sour and putting its distillate in the barrels at a lower entry proof create a fantastic product. I’ve always loved the Double Oaked Bourbon over a big ice cube. I feel like I am able to taste the craftsmanship.

Bourbon is the secret to this spirited, easy take on the classic duck-and-orange duo.

Welcome back, bourbon fans. The big news over the holidays is that Jim Beam will pause production at its main Clermont, Kentucky, distillery for all of 2026. Its bottling line and visitor center will remain open, including the Kitchen Table restaurant, as will production at its two other distilleries.

Meanwhile, several smaller producers have plans to expand their presence in the coming year:

In Tennessee, Leiper’s Fork Distillery is opening a location in Nashville Yards, with on-site whiskey production, a restaurant and bar, retail space, and a tasting room.

In Fort Worth, start-up Blue Flag is building a distillery, tasting room, and event space in the former Rahr & Sons brewery.

Never Say Die, a bourbon distilled in Kentucky and aged in England, announced plans for a tasting room and small distillery to open in downtown Lexington.

Wilderness Trail Distillery hits an age-statement milestone with three new permanent six-year-old Private Barrel releases—a wheated bourbon, high-rye bourbon, and rye whiskey—rolling out nationwide beginning this month.

The Ingram Distillery, which ages its barrels in moored barges on the Mississippi River (read more in today’s lead story), announced that it will open its Columbus, Kentucky, grounds to the public in April.

—Tom Wilmes, G&G contributor