A chocolatier and a liqueur expert walked into a bar—yes, really, that's how our newly introduced Bourbon Caramels came to be.
Our chocolatier Rachel McKinley had the idea for a bourbon-infused caramel but had trouble narrowing down the options, so she consulted an expert on all kinds of whiskies and bourbons before choosing Buffalo Trace Bourbon from Kentucky.
Bourbon is actually a type of whisky that's distilled from corn and aged in new, charred oak barrels. It gets its name from Bourbon County, Kentucky where it's said that Baptist minister Elijah Craig invented bourbon in 1789. Though there are few historical facts to support this claim, it's generally accepted that Elijah Craig, along with other distillers, helped to refine corn moonshine into what's now called bourbon.
For a liqueur to be labelled as a bourbon, it has to meet very strict Federal Standards of Identity in the United States, including that it must be made in the USA and contain at least 51% corn in the mash (which is the grain mixture that gets distilled). The mash can't contain any kind of added flavouring, colouring or other additives and it must be distilled in just one type of barrel: one that's new and made out of charred oak—the char gives bourbon its distinctive amber colour.
Kentucky makes 95% of the world's supply of bourbon and as of 2017, there are 1.5 barrels for every 1 person in the state of Kentucky.
And once you swing by your local Purdys or shop online right on this website, you could have 6 Bourbon Caramels for every 1 person (you), which we think is a much better stat.
