I understand this isn’t always the case, but I see bottles of 10 year 107 proof for example and a 20 year 95 proof right next to it. What makes this difference?
In: Chemistry
Unless it is marked barrel proof, all distilleries add water to get the proof where they want it. Barrel proof is straight of a barrel.
There’s a great episode of Stuff You Should Know about this stuff and how bourbon differentiates from whiskey. They also touch upon different proofs.
Because alcohol evaporates; the more time in a porous barrel, the more alcohol evaporated out
Alcohol evaporates over time, and is also absorbed into the wood of the barrels. This is referred to as the angel’s and devil’s share respectively.
All this plus it’s typically watered down to a specified proof to make it a standard amount of alcohol, otherwise it will vary because the angels aren’t reliable.
Didn’t expect it to be so long but here it goes:
Bourbon drinker here. When it comes to proof, it comes down to distiller’s preference or recipe. Most bourbon as stated previously is watered down to the desired strength. However, if bottled with little to no added water, it’s normally labeled cask strength or barrel proof.
Additionally, there is a legal term in the manufacturing of bourbon known as “bottled in bond”. For any bourbon to carry that label, it must be over 100 proof (50% ABV). And be aged a minimum of 4 years. This has to do with the marketing of bourbon from late in the 19th century due to a lack of the quality of bourbon at the time.
While the “angels share” has to do with a small portion of the bourbon that gets absorbed into the staves, the overall proof will be determined by the amount of water it is mixed with. Also, when bourbon is bottled, unless otherwise stated, they mix multiple barrels together to make that particular batch.
TL;dr Bourbon whiskey’s proof has to do with the distiller’s preference on how much to water it down. Also, alcohol evaporates.
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