At the end of each meeting, The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton members and guests typically lift their glasses or cups of water, coffee or sugared beverages, offering a salutatory toast to each other. Changing the routine, this week’s toast was fueled by a bit of bourbon, provided by product enthusiasts Cory Recknor and Gregg Riek. The two speakers’ presentation was entitled “All Bourbons are Whiskey, but not all Whiskeys are Bourbon.” For those who imbibed, designated drivers weren’t required, as only a thimble’s amount of the drink ever touched the lips of the participants.

According to Recknor, bourbon is a barrel-aged (new oak) whiskey, whose principal ingredient is born. The charring of the inside of the barrels impacts flavor. Most bourbon is made in Kentucky. There is disagreement about how the beverage received its name. Some say it gets its moniker from Bourbon County, Kentucky. While others believe it takes its name from French aristocracy or even a street in New Orleans. In 1964, the Congress recognized the drink as a “distinctive product of the United States.”
Like wine enthusiasts, bourbon lovers have their own lexicon, and we were introduced to numerous terms including “Angels’ Share” and “Devils’ Cut.” According to Tim Knittel of VisitLEX, “the angels get their share through evaporation; the Devil gets his cut because some liquid is lost, i.e. absorbed by the oak.” The Bond Act of 1897 defined what became known as “Bonded Bourbon Whiskey” as a mix that has been bottled with certain standards in mind. To meet the criteria for labeling it as “Bottled in Bond,” the blend must be stored continuously for at least four years in wooden barrels, bottled at 100 proof and the product of a single distillery, during a single season and year.
Recknor and Riek demonstrated a technique for drinking the beverage, describing for us the nose, notes and burn we might experience. We were encouraged to try the “Kentucky Chew,” described by “AI Overview as a “technique for tasting bourbon that involves moving the bourbon around in your mouth and smacking your lips.” The technique, as demonstrated by Recknor and Riek, also included a slight chewing of the beverage as it crossed the tongue. As with wine enthusiasts, bourbon lovers also have a subset of collectors, who buy and sell special bottles on the secondary market.
Nearing Veteran’s Day, with bourbon in mind, it seemed appropriate to look for any special toast involving a toast to veterans. We came upon a Facebook page called “The Bourbon Salute.” The Bourbon Salute is described as an event involving “a pairing of three crafted bourbons with delicious barbecue meats to support the 1st Sergeants’ Council at McConnell Air Force Base.”
Their fundraising event has been going on since 2019. Money raised is used by the 1st Sergeant’s Council, in support of service men and women, away from their families, while working through the holiday season. Seems like a good use of any libation. Salute to our troops, wherever stationed or deployed!