Updated May 2026.
Bourbon taste is not a TTB class. US bourbon is a mash and barrel rule: at least 51% corn, distilled at 160 proof or less, entered into new charred oak at 125 or less, bottled at 80 or more. Drinkers often cite vanilla, caramel, and oak — that is bar talk, not a score. A 1.5-ounce pour at 40% is one NIAAA drink.
Related: straight bourbon, rye taste, wheated bourbon.
Class vs pour
| Language | 1.5 oz drinks |
|---|---|
| US bourbon | 1.00 at 40% |
| “Vanilla / caramel” | — |
| Maker’s Mark | 1.13 |
| Knob Creek 9 Year | 1.25 |
A 750 mL 40% bottle is about 17 drinks. Four pours are four drinks. Pour math: whiskey drinks.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.143 bourbon. 27 CFR 5.88 bottled-in-bond. Maker’s Proof 90 and Knob Creek 9 Year Proof 100 official this project.
- Mash % unpublished. NIAAA December 2025. Taste adjectives are not a legal type.
- 27 CFR 5.143: ≥51% corn; new charred oak
- (27 CFR 5.143)