Does Bourbon Contain Any Sugar?
If you're a fan of bourbon, you know that the cocktails that pair perfectly with this type of whiskey are usually on the sweeter side. Even if you prefer to sip your whiskey neat, you'll notice that bourbon is inherently sweet, with delightful notes of vanilla, caramel, coconut, banana, and other fruits.
Bourbon's natural sweetnesss is derived from the ingredients used to make its mash bill (the combination of grains used in a bourbon recipe) and the distillation process. By law, distillers cannot add anything to their bourbons to alter the flavor or add sweetness. When it comes time to bottle their product, only water may be added.
Why does bourbon taste sweet?
To understand why Kentucky's prized liquor is sweet, it helps to know what bourbon is actually made from. To legally be considered a bourbon, it must contain at least 51% corn, though many distillers use recipes that are closer to 70%. Since corn is naturally sweet, it means bourbon is going to be sweet, too. The higher the percentage of corn, the sweeter the bourbon. The rest of the mash bill is composed of other types of grains to further flavor the liquor, typically malted barley, rye, or wheat. When picking out a bourbon, it's important to note that bourbons containing high amounts of rye will be spicier with more of a peppery kick, while bourbons that are high in wheat will be sweeter and smoother.
The distillation process adds a touch more sweetness to the final product. Bourbon must be aged in a new, charred oak barrel for a minimum of two years, but many bourbons are aged much longer than that. The time spent in the barrel infuses the bourbon with a tiny amount of natural wood sugars, and its interaction with the charred surface is what gives bourbon those subtle hints of lovely dessert flavors, like caramel and vanilla. If you're looking to lower your sugar intake, bourbon is a sugar-free but naturally sweet option that can help satisfy that sweet tooth. If you don't want to sip it neat, remember that there may be sugar in bourbon cocktails, like an Old-Fashioned. Otherwise, you can enjoy your bourbon confidently, knowing that there is no added sugar.