Scotch whisky often draws cheers for being like wine—incredibly diverse. Whereas a Highland malt (e.g., Dalwhinnie) might mix smoke and fruity flavors, an Islay whisky (e.g., Laphroaig) will be far smokier and throw in iodine and brackish notes. Pity that Bourbon is only belatedly getting a similar respect. Per U.S. regulation, Bourbon must have a mashbill that is not less than 51% corn. That leaves the distiller free to play with the remaining 49%, using varying amounts of corn, wheat, rye…chicken flesh. (Just joking.) The result, of course, is Bourbons that taste very different from one another. Different stills, different...
