I stumbled upon Neat: The Story of Bourbon on YouTube and after watching a few clips, I had to purchase the full movie to find out more.
Neat: The Story of Bourbon is a fantastic bourbon documentary that captures America’s native spirit and the true purpose of bourbon: a drink meant to be enjoyed with friends and family. This movie features fantastic cinematography and storytelling on the history of bourbon as well as the future of the industry.
So is the film worth the purchase? Well, if you’ve ever stayed up late at night wondering “What is so exciting about bourbon? Bourbon is just liquid, right?” then yes, yes this film is worth the investment.
Neat: The Story of Bourbon leads us through the birth of this great drink, then into the dark days when bourbon lost popularity in the 1970s and 1980s as the uncool liquor and nearly died, and then finally recounts its slow rise back to its much deserved place at the front of the liquor cabinet.
Bourbon is more than a tasty drink; it is about the people that make it and the painstaking process and patience they must use to develop this spirit.
If you want to know what truly makes this documentary “neat”, keep reading. I detail the film’s main takeaways and elaborate on why you should purchase this movie.
Learn How Bourbon is Made
All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon. Now, you might be asking yourself “what the heck does that mean”? Without drawing some elaborate Venn diagram, it basically means that bourbon is an elite class of whiskey that must meet certain criteria to be called bourbon.
By the act of United States Congress, you must meet a rigid set of criteria to earn the classification of bourbon; otherwise, it is just whisky.
The film walks through the A, B, C, D, E, F, Gs of bourbon as a simple acronym to explain its defining criteria.
A – American Made
Most people think bourbon has to be made in Kentucky to be called bourbon but that is not true. To earn the designation of bourbon, it has to be made in the United States of America; bourbon doesn’t have to be made in Kentucky. You can use the same process to make bourbon but if it’s done in Canada, for instance, it can’t be called bourbon. It would just be whiskey.
Now it is true that most bourbon is made in Kentucky. Kentucky happens to provide the perfect environment for making great bourbon which is why most bourbon distillers are located in Kentucky.
B – Barrels
Bourbon must be made in brand new barrels and absolutely cannot be made in used barrels. The barrels are a key part of the bourbon-making process as the bourbon will absorb the white oak of the charred bourbon barrels and affect the taste of the bourbon.
The wood of the barrels themselves add to the flavor and life of the bourbon. Just how wine is affected by the grapes used, bourbon is affected by the trees used to make the barrels. The barrel gives a rich caramel flavor that is a distinct flavor for bourbon.
Kentucky’s extreme weather fluctuations, with harsh winters and blistering summers, provide a great environment for aging in the barrel. The weather conditions impact the taste by causing the barrels to expand into the wood and then contract, which adds to the flavor.
C – Corn
To be designated as bourbon, it has to be 51% corn. The corn imparts a unique flavor of sweetness on the bourbon that gives it a different taste than whiskey or other spirits. Another reason Kentucky is a great place to make bourbon is its close proximity to where a lot of corn is grown in the Midwest of the United States.
D – Distillation Proof
The proof is the strength of the alcohol. Bourbon can’t be higher than 160 proof coming out of the still; above that, and you are in the vodka category. The proof is double whatever the percentage of alcohol is in the spirit. So a bourbon that is 160 proof is 80% alcohol.
E – Entry Proof
Going into the bourbon barrel, it must be 125 proof (62.5% alcohol) or less.
F – Fill Proof
When taken out of the barrel and bottled, the proof has to be 80 (40% alcohol) or above to be considered bourbon.
G – Genuine
No additives are allowed in bourbon. Bourbon has to be natural. If flavors are added, it is not bourbon, it is whiskey. You will see many flavor-added bourbons in the bourbon aisle at the liquor store, but they are not bourbon by definition, they are whiskey.
Bourbon is America’s Native Spirit
Bourbon has a rich history in America. Early settlers in America were able to grow more corn than they were able to use. So what do you do with an overage of corn?
You make whiskey, of course.
Making whiskey was a way to preserve corn; by distilling the corn and making whiskey, you could preserve the surplus of corn forever on the shelf.
One of the key turning points in bourbon history was the Bottled in Bond Act created by Colonel Taylor. Colonel Taylor spent 10 years working with Congress to pass this law. The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 provided regulation on whiskey. Prior to the Bottled in Bond Act, there were no regulations around whiskey.
Colonel Taylor created trust in the industry so that when you go to the store and see the bourbon label, you know you are not getting scammed by someone claiming it to be bourbon when it is not.
Prohibition nearly killed the bourbon industry but bourbon found a way to survive. Even during the prohibition period, bourbon was being made for medicinal purposes.
Bourbon nearly died again in the 1970s and 1980s when the consumers started to favor other spirits like vodka. Bourbon became known as your grandpa’s drink and was no longer cool. Many bourbon brands and distilleries went out of business.
Fast forward to today, bourbon has seen a rise of popularity lead by many people passionate about the industry such as Marianne Barnes and Freddie Johnson.
Marianne Barnes of Castle and Key
Marianne Barnes is making history as the first female master bourbon distiller for a new distillery called Castle and Key in Kentucky, which is a restoration of the Colonel Taylor Distillery that was falling into ruin.
Colonel Taylor, as lauded above, was one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry who lobbied Congress to create the rules around bourbon when many scammers at the time were faking bourbon products. These fraudulent bourbons were causing many people to get sick. Colonel Taylor wanted to improve the image of the bourbon industry and bring it the distinguished status it deserved. He created this distillery as a sort of mecca or shrine to this unique beverage, but it fell into ruin as bourbon lost popularity.
Castle and Key bought the distillery and has worked diligently to restore it back to the state that Colonel Taylor wanted and is launching a new bourbon distillery with Marianne Barnes as the first female master distiller.
Marianne Barnes is excellent in the film and brings you into the passion of why bourbon is a great American spirit. Marianne’s passion for bourbon comes through clearly in the film. She was formerly working for Woodford Reserve distillery and she took a chance on the opportunity to launch the new distillery and become the master distiller. The film details how this young woman is bringing the industry into a new age for a new generation and helping with the resurgence of bourbon.
Freddie Johnson is My Bourbon Hero
Freddie Johnson is a 70-plus-year-old lead tour guide at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Freddie is a storyteller and a bourbon hero. Freddie is a third-generation employee of Buffalo Trace. Freddie’s grandfather worked at the distillery with Albert Blanton to help select the barrels that would become Blanton’s single barrel.
Freddie has a warm and delightful personality and brings the audience back to what the true meaning of bourbon is: to be enjoyed with friends and family.
Bourbon is Meant to be Enjoyed
There are 4 million people in Kentucky and there are 6 million bourbon barrels. You do the math. Bourbon is America’s only true native spirit. Creating great bourbon takes great patience and passion. This film captures that spirit.
What I really love about this film is it gives you the basics of what bourbon is but it also focuses on the real story of bourbon and the true meaning of bourbon. Bourbon is a way to celebrate and enjoy with friends and family. Bourbon is not just a good tasting liquor; bourbon is a way to gather with your friends and family and create a common ground. Bourbon is not just your grandpa’s drink and Neat: The Story of Bourbon is not just your grandpa’s documentary.
So are you ready to watch this movie?
CLICK HERE to watch Neat: The Story of Bourbon video on demand on Amazon.
