-
Bourbon aged in casks other than oak
I want to be clear here – I’m not complaining just really confused. I desperately want to try this Hillrock Solera aged bourbon whiskey.. I was under the impression that bourbon could only be aged in new charred oak barrels and that finishing a bourbon in a non-oak/new barrel would be considered flavoring. It is finished in sherry cask, similar to Angel’s Envy (port) which I also have to wonder about. Am I grossly mistaken or is this a technicality?
I’d also like to know how Wilderness Trace was able to label their sorghum distillate as “rum” seeing as one of the few rum restrictions is that it can only be fermented sugar cane?
Anybody have thoughts on this? Thanks in advance.
NAB
PS are these ocean aged spirits considered “in transport” or something? I thought all aging had to be done in a bonded area (i.e. not boats or trains)?
-
7 Replies
-
I think rum can be made from molasses. Sorghum can be used to make molasses.
-
I can’t answer on the whiskey aging, though I was under the impression that you could finish whiskey on other woods after it had been on new oak.
But, I too am perplexed about the TTB allowing Sorghum Rum by Wilderness Trace. I have been making sorghum syrup for several years, and it’s one of the products we will be making at our distillery. I fashion it in a dark rum style, and that’s hard to sell with no mention of rum.
I emailed with Wilderness Trace, who assured me they had spoken in detail with TTB about their product and it was determined that sorghum cane is close enough to sugarcane. I then spoke with a contact at TTB who assured me that there was no way a sorghum cane product could be called a rum! It’s totally odd.
Then, there’s a product on the market called Sorghrum and another called Sorgrhum. I’ve spoken to both of them and they don’t seem to have an issue with someone else using that description on their label. But a USPTO search shows a florida ethanol company has trademarked both for use in a beverage spirit. Again, odd.
Where does that leave sorghum rum? more work with creative descriptions, i guess.
I want to be clear here – I’m not complaining just really confused. I desperately want to try this Hillrock Solera aged bourbon whiskey.. I was under the impression that bourbon could only be aged in new charred oak barrels and that finishing a bourbon in a non-oak/new barrel would be considered flavoring. It is finished in sherry cask, similar to Angel’s Envy (port) which I also have to wonder about. Am I grossly mistaken or is this a technicality?
I’d also like to know how Wilderness Trace was able to label their sorghum distillate as “rum” seeing as one of the few rum restrictions is that it can only be fermented sugar cane?
Anybody have thoughts on this? Thanks in advance.
NAB
PS are these ocean aged spirits considered “in transport” or something? I thought all aging had to be done in a bonded area (i.e. not boats or trains)?
Sorghum Syrup is very similar to sugarcane molasses, but the two are different. Sorghum Juice comes from the pressed Sorghum cane and is cooked down from a brix of 14-18 to a syrup of 72-80 brix. That is the only processing step, and the sole purpose of cooking sorghum is to make syrup. Sugarcane molasses is a final product of sugarcane juice extraction. There are several products from processing sugar cane juice, granulated sugar, cane syrup, molasses, etc.
I think rum can be made from molasses. Sorghum can be used to make molasses.
-
Thanks for the replies. I would assume that if sorghum molasses was boiled down, or further refined, that it too could become ECJ. But since rum can be made from crystalized sugar from the sugarcane plant and not crystalized sugar from a beat, it wouldn’t make sense for sorghum to be allowed. That being said, I think I’d probably support a move to include the sorghum plant.
I called the TTB Friday to ask why they (wilderness trace) was allowed and we were not- we’ve been working with the TTB on this since February. I spent 55 minutes on hold then was asked to leave a voicemail. I sent an email while I was on hold. I was told that I would receive a response with 72 hrs, granted it was the weekend, but I would expect to get an email either today or tomorrow..
I’ve attempted contact with the Sorghrum people in Indiana and have never gotten a response – are they still around?
-
I think you’re expecting more consistency from the TTB than they can deliver. Bad approvals get through on a routine basis. But not so routine you can count on it. And complaining about other people’s bad labels rarely gets anywhere unless you have a big enough voice – AND connections. Chuck Cowdery comes to mind. And even his success is limited. (Limited being infinitely greater than zero.)
My current pet peeve is the ‘Tennessee Cider’ label. That uses a wine class and type (look it up in the Wine volume of the Beverage Alcohol Manual) on a non-wine product. You can’t put Class/Type terms in a fanciful name – let alone across complete product types.
-
Hmm, perhaps I should clarify.. I don’t care much what others are labeled as, so long as I have the same ability. Granted, it does confuse the customers but that is the TTB’s problem not ours – it’s what they are there for. For an industry that is as heavily controlled (on paper) as this is, and as cut and dry as the rules tend to be, there shouldn’t be this much flexibility. That’s just me personally speaking.
Tennessee cider, is that the JD product you are referring to?
NAB
-
Yes, that is the product I’m referring to.
-
ooohhh, I’m with you now. I wonder if it is a lack of knowledge or blatant disregard? This sort of stuff is all across the big companies. Absolute has a barrel aged Vodka..that’s right. brown vodka. Tell me how that works.
Log in to reply.
English 
Spanish 
German 
French 
Russian