Some distilleries have changed ownership through the years and as such, the bourbon itself may not be the same product from bottle to bottle. The grains or water used, seasonal fluctuations, and maturation process will create variation in any bourbon over the course of many years. In some cases, however, a change in ownership can trigger a dramatic recipe change.

For example, I mentioned in the previous article that I had found an Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond bourbon, distilled in 1965. This particular brand has changed ownership a couple of times and as such, the product has changed over time.

Ownership of Old Fitzgerald has passed from Stitzel Weller, to United Distillers and currently, Heaven Hill. Old Fitzgerald from Stitzel Weller is considered some of the best bourbon ever produced, while the current version from Heaven Hill is drinkable and some consider good for the price, but it’s a far cry from the time when Pappy Van Winkle oversaw the production of Old Fitzgerald. I mention this, because knowing this type of information tells me the quality and time line of this brand of bourbon.

Read more about decoding the label after the jump…

As I remarked, the label will hold some clues as to the heritage of the bourbon. In the case of my 1965 Old Fitzgerald, the lack of UPC tells me that it’s an older bottle that pre-dates the use of the UPC which, on a broad scale, was around the late 70’s to early 80’s. Because there are a number of items on the label, I’m going to break down the various things to look for in future articles.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the UPC symbol itself. However, using the UPC is not a 100% guarantee — which is why it’s important to use it in conjunction with other visual indicators.

In the case of the Old Fitzgerald, newer bottles I have that date from the 80’s show a UPC of 88508. This tells me that the bourbon is still Stitzel Weller due to the fact that the Stitzel Weller distillery stopped producing around 1992. Newer bottles have a UPC of 88076, a Heaven Hill code, meaning it may not be Stitzel Weller bourbon depending on the bottling date.

If this sounds confusing, you’re not alone! There’s much ambiguity in the distillery world and trying to get a clear picture is sometimes difficult.

Simply put, the UPC symbol should tell you who produced the bourbon. For a listing of UPC’s, you can visit www.upcdatabase.com and search on the product itself. As an example, try searching on Old Fitzgerald and you will see multiple UPCs for the same product (use quotes around the name to filter out things like Ella Fitzgerald…unless you like Ella).

Knowing when a particular UPC was used for a specific bourbon will give you an idea of the heritage.

In the next article, we’ll discuss the remaining indicators on the label that will help you in your quest for out of production bourbons. We’ll be looking at things like proof, DSP number, distillery name and location.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post in the comments below or e-mail me at brbnizgud@yahoo.com

Happy Hunting!

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Frommer’s, the well-known publisher of dog-eared travel guides for every place on earth imaginable, has named the American Whiskey Trail one of thirteen Top Destinations for 2008 in the world.

The American Whiskey Trail is a list of historical whiskey sites suggested to tourists by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., a trade organization for the liquor industry.

Of the distilleries listed in the AWT, all but three are Kentucky Bourbon Distilleries (I’m not counting the two rum distilleries in the Caribbean – it would be next to impossible to add those to a single travel itinerary).

While the AWT is a great starting point, and I applaud the Distilled Spirits Council for publishing it, there are richer resources for taking a trip through American whiskey history. To really get at the heart of American whiskey, I suggest you turn to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a campaign developed by the Kentucky Board of Tourism in cooperation with a number of well-known bourbon distilleries in the state. Their website provides maps, lists of nearby hotels, a primer on bourbon history & production, and plenty of gorgeous photography of bourbon country to really draw you in.

Each of the participating distilleries (big names and small) offer guided tours of the grounds and have gift shops to pick up souvenirs. Because some counties in Kentucky are still dry, not all are able to provide samplings, but most do. All seven are located in Central Kentucky and can be visited over the course of two days.

While I have not been to all of the distilleries on the Trail (still need to visit Wild Turkey and Heaven Hill), it’s safe to say they are all well worth a visit. Maker’s Mark is probably the best starting point — they clearly have invested the most in their visitor’s center and tour, creating what might be considered a bourbon theme park.

My favorite though, has to be Four Roses, because they take you through every part of the bourbon making process and let you see it close up — from grain selection to distillation, aging, and bottling — ducking under pipes and walking the distillery catwalk along the way. That’s not a knock on the others though, they are all fantastic and highly recommended!

For those of you who have been, which is your favorite distillery tour and why? Leave a comment below to let us know.

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