While whiskey is made and enjoyed all over the world, bourbon is distinctly and proudly an American-made spirit. Hoarded, beloved, and highly sought after, this complex elixir is at the pinnacle of connoisseurship. We believe that everyone should at least have a passing knowledge of bourbon. We also think that you should dig a little deeper and truly find out all there is to know about this spirit. So, we put together a comprehensive guide to bourbon whiskey.
What’s with the hype around Pappy Van Winkle? What’s the best budget bourbon? Can I use bourbon in a cocktail? We’ll answer these questions and more. Here you’ll find in-depth reviews and deep dives into the latest and greatest bourbons.
Welcome to Cool Material’s comprehensive guide to all things bourbon.
The Bourbon Bucket List: The 20 Best Bourbons You Need to Try at Least Once
No other drink is as American as bourbon. Eastern Europeans can carry the vodka flag, the Scottish can bring the best scotch, but we’ll take a bottle of bourbon and a pigskin-loving bald eagle any day. And when you’re stocking your home bar with some Kentucky classics (though not always…
What’s the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey?
If we didn't need water to survive and coffee to function, it's a fair bet we'd be consuming what we consider America's favorite drink--bourbon--all day long. That's obviously not sustainable, but we can all dream, right? What is bourbon? Why is it so delicious? How's it made? What's the difference…
The 8 Best Bang-For-Your-Buck Bourbons
Damn, do we love bourbon. For whatever reason, people sometimes get the wrong idea about this distinctive and storied blend of whiskey. They think it’s super expensive and unapproachable, or exclusively reserved for devout followers of the Church of Good Whiskey. But that’s just not true. In fact, there are…
10 Bourbon Cocktails You Need to Try
Bourbon. One of those exquisite, tantalizing liquids we can drink any time, in any weather, in any place on Earth. Sometimes we like it neat, sometimes we like it on rocks, and hell, sometimes we take it in a shot glass. If you need a great sipping bourbon, might we…
Is Four Roses Small Batch The Best Budget Bourbon?
There's a commonly held belief that the more expensive something is, the better it must be. I've certainly fallen victim to this line of thinking in the past. Clothing, watches, cars, and drinks. A high price tag must mean high quality. And while we firmly believe in the value of…
Why Pappy Van Winkle Can Cost Over $4,000 a Bottle
Pappy Van Winkle is the unicorn of bourbons. People say it’s real, but we’ve only really seen it in pictures, and most of them probably had some image doctoring going on. For all we know, it could have been a pasted on label to a bottle of iced tea. Though,…
How to Drink Whiskey like a Master Distiller
Appreciating whiskey or bourbon, like appreciating anything in life, requires a certain level of attention. But what should you paying attention to? Brian Nation, Master Distiller at Jameson’s Midleton distillery, walked us through his sampling process so you could learn to drink whiskey like the man responsible for everything from…
The Complete Guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
The holy grail for bourbon aficionados, The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is located in North-Central Kentucky between Louisville and Lexington. Within an 81-mile radius, pilgrims can tour all nine-heritage distilleries, and a number of craft distilleries as well. We’ve created the following guide to give you a few logistical pointers, great…
