GMO? What is THAT? No, it’s not the newest rapper on the scene or some kind of rare disease, it stands for genetically modified organism (when scientists tinker with produce and their DNA, kind of like creating Frankenstein but with veggies/fruits/grains). Currently, 85 percent of corn grown in the U.S. is GMO and to be considered a bourbon, it has to be made of 51 percent corn. The math is dismal for the survival of GMO-free bourbons. But, at least for the next few years, here are the two remaining GMO-free bourbons:
Four Roses – The idea for this post came from a visit to the Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceberg, Kentucky. During the tour, the guide picks up a bag of corn and says, “Take a good long look at this, you’re not going to see this for much longer.” See what? A bag of grain? While running his hands through the non-GMO corn, he continued, “For the next few years, we have enough NON-gmo corn to continue making our bourbon, but there is simply not enough being grown to keep up with our demands.” Takeaway lesson? If you’re a bourbon lover and concerned about drinking/eating GMOs, stock up on cases of it now.
Wild Turkey – Is Wild Turkey committed to GMO-free bourbons because it’s trendy? Not so much. According to an article on Grist, they don’t want to put the bourbon on oak for an extended period of time and then find out there’s a problem with the GMO corn and have to dump it. Since there is no long-term research on the effects of GMOs, they’d rather play it safe. Very smart.
Bourbon Trail
In honor of September being National Bourbon Heritage Month, designated so by Congress in 2007, it’s a great time to plan a visit to the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. Both GMO-free bourbon distillers are on the trail with dozens of others to visit. Mint Julep Tours is my favorite bourbon trail tour company. The tour guides are bourbon enthusiasts and you don’t have to worry about having a designated driver as they offer pick up from most Louisville hotels.
More on Bourbon
How to Navigate the Bourbon Trail on a DRY Day:
Q&A with America’s Bourbon Mayor by Fred Minnick
Celebrating National Bourbon Heritage Month (former post on W&L)
What to Expect with a Mint Julep tour of the Bourbon Trail (former post on W&L)
6 Bourbon Myths Busted by Camper English, published on Details.com
Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey – a new book to hit the bookstores in October 2013 by friend and whiskey expert, Fred Minnick.
Drink Well,
Lanee
For more tippling travel reads, check out WanderBoomer’s piece on the Willamette Valley wine trail of Oregon.
Wild Turkey photo by Flickr user Papadont.