
Bourbon is an American whiskey built around corn. Aging in new charred oak gives vanilla, caramel, coconut, spice, and a full sweet-leaning body. Whiskey brings grain, oak, vanilla, spice, dried fruit, or smoke into a cocktail. Even a small change between bourbon, rye, Irish, and Scotch styles shifts not only flavor but also how dry the finish feels. Taste whiskey in a small amount at room temperature first: oak, grain, sweetness, and smoke become easier to notice. After that, it is clearer whether it needs sugar, bitters, citrus, or only dilution.