Bourbon is one of the most heavily regulated spirits categories in the United States. But once distillers comply with the basic requirements – at least 51% corn, new charred oak barrels, no colorings or added flavorings – the room for experimentation is tantalizing. One of the sub-categories of bourbon that offers the most room for innovation is a little-known style called four-grain bourbon.
There are just a handful of true four-grain bourbons on the market. Like all bourbons, four-grain bourbon must be at least 51% corn. And like standard bourbon, it also contains some percentage of malted barley to contribute critical enzymes that start the conversion of starch to sugar. In the vast majority of standard bourbons, the remainder of the mash bill is made of one of two “flavor grains” – usually soft, sweet wheat, or bold and spicy rye. Four-grain bourbon doesn’t make a choice between the two: it uses both (or even another grain or two entirely!), creating a uniquely complex flavor profile that – when well-executed – combines the best of both worlds.
Balancing four grains and their unique processing requirements requires a significant amount of skill, as well as a longer mash-in. Each grain used for the mash achieves peak saccharification at a different temperature, necessitating a more complex mashing process where the temperature is gradually lowered. Corn is typically added first, and at the highest temperature, followed by the flavor grains and then, finally, malted barley, but distillers can experiment with other mashing and blending procedures to get the most out of each grain.
Interested in giving one a try? Most of the expressions available now are from craft operations; here are a few to choose from:
- A.D. Laws Four-Grain Bourbon by Laws Whiskey House
- Hudson Four-Grain Bourbon by Tuthilltown Spirits
- New Southern Revival Four-Grain Bourbon by Highwire Spirits
- Black Button Distilling Four-Grain Bourbon by Black Button Distilling
But industry giant Buffalo Trace might be getting in on the four-grain game, too – they recently got approval for a label for a Colonel E.H. Taylor Four Grain expression. Are there any others we’re missing, readers?
Latest On The Whiskey Wash
