Research has found that alcohol does indeed stimulate the secretion of digestive hormones in the stomach Bourbon is made from a mash that’s usually 70–80% maize, 10–15% malted barley to digest the starch, and the remainder rye or wheat After fermenting for two to four days, the whole mash, grain residues and yeast included, is distilled in a column and then a kind of continuous pot still to 60–80% alcohol The distillate is aged for at least two years in new, charred American oak barrels, which give bourbon a deeper color and stronger vanilla note than Scotch whiskies have Summer temperatures that can reach 125ºF/53ºC in the warehouses modify and accelerate the chemical reactions of aging Bourbons are generally chill-filtered; in fact this technique was invented by the Tennessee whiskey maker George Dickel around 1870 Unlike French brandies and Canadian whiskeys, bourbon cannot be colored, sweetened, or flavored; the only additive allowed is water Canadian whiskeys are among the mildest and most delicate of the spirits made from grains They are a blend of a light-flavored column-distilled grain whiskey with small amounts of stronger whiskeys; they can also include wines, rum, and brandy, up to 9% of the blend They’re aged for a minimum of three years in used oak casks Gins There are two principal styles of distilled gin made today, English and Dutch, as well as cheaper gin that cannot be called distilled because its flavorings are simply added to neutral alcohol The traditional Dutch production method is to distill a fermented mixture of malt, corn, and rye two or three times in pot stills at low proof: that is, the distillate contains a fair amount of congeners, and resembles a light whisky Then this distillate is distilled one ... amounts of stronger whiskeys; they can also include wines, rum, and brandy, up to 9% of the blend They’re aged for a minimum of three years in used oak casks Gins There are two principal styles of. ..sweetened, or flavored; the only additive allowed is water Canadian whiskeys are among the mildest and most delicate of the spirits made from grains They are a blend of a light-flavored column-distilled grain whiskey with small... to distill a fermented mixture of malt, corn, and rye two or three times in pot stills at low proof: that is, the distillate contains a fair amount of congeners, and resembles a light whisky Then this distillate is distilled one