Bourbon
Vanilla, caramel, and charred oak: bourbon owes its flavor to two rules that are stricter than anywhere else. What exactly it is, which types there are, how to drink it, and which glass to use.
The best-known bourbon brands
Two names found in almost every bar: Kentucky's best-selling bourbon and the Tennessee whiskey that sits just outside the category.
Jim Beam
Owned by the same family in Clermont, Kentucky, since 1795. White Label is aged for four years and is the bourbon for cola, sours, and juleps.
About Jim Beam →Jack Daniel's
From Lynchburg, Tennessee, and technically not a bourbon: the spirit is first filtered through sugar maple charcoal. Smoother and sweeter, and the world's best-known American whiskey.
About Jack Daniel's →Our whisky page compares all styles, from Scotch malt to Japanese blend.
Every bourbon at a glance, by brand
2 brands and 9 flavors, each with its own page about taste, cocktails, and the right glass.
Corn, a new barrel and no other tricks
Bourbon is American whiskey that must meet a handful of strict rules. The grain blend must contain at least 51% corn; the rest is usually rye, sometimes wheat, plus some malted barley to convert the starch. The corn is also why bourbon tastes sweeter and rounder than a Scotch malt. The whiskey must contain at least 40% alcohol and be made in the United States.
The second rule does most of the work: bourbon ages in new American oak barrels charred on the inside. So each barrel is used once for bourbon, then passed on to Scottish, Irish or Caribbean distilleries. Charring releases vanilla, caramel and coconut from the wood, and the whiskey draws those flavors back out over a few hot Kentucky summers. No color or flavoring may be added: all the color and flavor come from the grain and the barrel.
In brief
Four categories you'll find on the shelf
The differences lie in the aging, one extra step in Tennessee, and whether anything is added after barreling.
Straight bourbon
The standard bottle: aged for at least two years in a new charred barrel, with nothing added. If it's less than four years old, the age must be stated on the label.
Tennessee whiskey
The same rules as bourbon, plus one extra step: the fresh distillate drips through a thick bed of sugar maple charcoal first. This makes it smoother and rounder.
Bottled in bond
An old American quality standard: one distillery, one distilling season, at least four years old and exactly 50% in the bottle. Fuller and bolder than the standard bottle.
Honey, apple and cinnamon
No longer whiskey, but a liqueur: bourbon blended with honey, apple or cinnamon. Sweet, smooth and lower in alcohol, so it's not sold as bourbon either.
Extra-aged bottles like Jim Beam Black and Double Oak are aged longer or in two barrels, while small batch means only a limited number of barrels are blended.
Vanilla and caramel, with the sweet notes of corn
Vanilla & caramel
Sweet vanilla, caramel and toasted oak, often with coconut and a hint of cinnamon. The charred barrel is most noticeable on the nose.
Smooth and slightly sweet
Smooth and full-bodied, with caramel, toffee and the sweetness of corn. If the mash bill contains a lot of rye, it adds a peppery spiciness.
Warm and woody
A warm finish with oak and spices. The higher the proof and the longer the aging, the longer that warmth lingers.
Flavor profile of a classic straight bourbon at around 40%. A bottled-in-bond or extra-aged bottle scores higher in spice and strength; honey and apple bottles rate around 5 for sweetness.
Three ways to drink bourbon
Bourbon is made for mixing, but it holds its own just as well neat. The difference comes down to the glass, the amount of ice and the mixer you choose.
With cola or ginger ale
Pour 50 ml bourbon over 150 ml cola in a highball glass filled with ice, and add a lime wedge. Ginger ale is worth a try: the ginger and the barrel's vanilla complement each other, while cola mainly adds sweetness.
Glass: highball glass →On the rocks
Pour 5 cl over one large ice cube in a heavy tumbler. One cube melts more slowly than a handful of smaller cubes, so the whiskey gets cold without becoming watery. Let it sit for a minute before taking your first sip.
Glass: tumbler →In a Whiskey Sour
Shake 50 ml bourbon, 25 ml lemon juice, 15 ml simple syrup and a dash of egg white hard with ice, then strain into a chilled glass. Sweet, sour and topped with foam: the easiest way to get to know bourbon.
Whiskey Sour recipe →The best-known bourbon cocktails
Bourbon makes up half of the classic American cocktail menu. These are the recipes to start with.
Old Fashioned
Bourbon, sugar, bitters and a large ice cube. Three ingredients that let the barrel speak.
Whiskey Sour
Bourbon, lemon, sugar and egg white, shaken hard. Smooth, fresh and always good.
Mint Julep
Bourbon with mint, sugar, and crushed ice. The drink of the Kentucky Derby.
Manhattan
Whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Sweeter and rounder with bourbon than with rye.The right glass for bourbon
A heavy tumbler for on the rocks and the Old Fashioned, a tall glass for bourbon with cola, and a mixing glass for stirring. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything else you wanted to know about bourbon
Can't find your question here? Browse our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →What exactly is bourbon?
What percentage of alcohol is in bourbon?
What is the difference between bourbon and Tennessee whiskey?
What does straight bourbon mean?
Does bourbon have to come from Kentucky?
Is bourbon with honey or apple still bourbon?
Buy bourbon
Want the bottle delivered right away? Order bourbon online at Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 57 options, 17 of which are on sale.
Prices as of November 3, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can see the current price and stock at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; it costs you nothing extra. No 18, no alcohol.
