A comparative analysis of bourbon whiskey and gin

Posted by SharonEvans on August 19th, 2013

Bourbon is a kind of American whiskey produced from corn. The liquor has got its name from Old Bourbon around which the Bourbon County in Kentucky is now located. The alcoholic drink is popular since the 18th century. Like bourbon, gin is also the favorite drink of many people around the globe. Basically, it is a type of spirit that extracts its prime flavor from the juniper berries. Presently, gin is one of the high selling spirits in the world.

How Bourbon is served?

There is a particular way to serve Bourbon. It is either mixed with water or blended with soda. Bourbon whiskey is also used for preparing delicious cocktails like the Old Fashioned, the mint julep, The Manhattan and the whiskey sour.

How Gin is served?

Usually, gin is served in a tall glass having a heavy bottom. The glass full of gin is usually put inside the freezer. Before serving, ice cubes are added to the chilled gin. A freshly cut lemon wedge can be added to the glass. It is important to stir the glass full of gin to release the juniper flavor.

How Bourbon is Prepared?

Bourbon is prepared from a grain mixture containing corn, malted barley, wheat, and rye. All the grains are ground and mixed together with water. At last, yeast is included and mash is fermented. Finally, the fermented mash is distilled. The clear spirit that is prepared after distillation of the fermented mash is kept is American oak barrels so that it acquires color and flavor because of the caramelized sugars in the charred wood. The flavor of Bourbon increases if stored for a longer period of time.

How Gin is distilled?

Column stills are used for distilling gin. After distillation, the spirit that is collected is light and clean with small amounts of congeners. The base spirit is mixed with juniper and botanical extracts to make low-quality compound gins. For preparing mass-market gins, juniper berries and botanicals are soaked in the base spirit to form a mixture which is redistilled in the end. 

Popular Bourbon Whiskeys

Some of the Bourbon Whiskey brands that have acquired huge popularity around the world include:

•             Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve

•             Blanton’s Single-Barrel Bourbon

•             Maker’s Mark Bourbon

•             Elijah Craig 12 years old

•             Booker’s Bourbon

Popular Gin Brands

Let us talk about some of the popular gin brands. Some of the popular value-priced gins are as follows:

•             Glenmore London Dry

•             Seagram's Extra Dry

•             Gordon's London Dry

Coming to the premium gins, the gins like Beefeater and Tanqueray London Dry are highly preferred by the gin lovers.

Here are some of the high-end gins that are enjoyed all around the world:

•             Tanqueray No. Ten

•             Bulldog

•             Magellan

•             Old Raj

Premium and high-end brands are best because they have the largest amount of gin and give the drink’s unique flavor. Thanks to the advancement of technology, you can now order bourbon whiskey and gin sitting at your home with a couple of mouse clicks.

If you want to gather information on Bourbon and gin, you can visit our website. Our site provides information on different types of liquors.