On July 15, The Lane Report announced that Kentucky State University (KSU) and Brough Brothers Distillery launched a line of bourbons. The five bourbons are known as the 1886 Select, a reference to the year the University was founded, according to the Courier Journal.
The distillery teamed up with university students in researching types of wood finishes and flavor as part of a “groundbreaking” partnership. The five-bourbon lineup features juice from Brough Brothers — more specifically, the brand’s 3 Kings Recipe as the base bourbon. The team finished the whiskeys in wood staves consisting of white oak, walnut, hickory, maple, and a “control variety” barrel. The bourbons retail for $64.99, and some of the proceeds will be directed towards KSU’s research on distillation and fermentation.
Kentucky State University Dr. Kirk Pomper supervised the research portion of the experiment. Brough Brothers Master Distiller Bryson Yarbrough spearheaded the production and aging processes.
“Working with Kentucky State University allows us to combine traditional distilling expertise with cutting-edge research,” Yarbrough said, according to the Lane Report. “This partnership opens new possibilities for flavor development while providing students with direct exposure to the bourbon industry.”
KSU’s Fermentation and Distillation Science Certificate program ensures that students study a grab-bag of different aspects of distilling: brewing, fermentation, the aging process, and more. It turns out that this experiment ended well, and Yarbrough claimed the bourbons are “one of the best products.”
“We’re actually looking at some of the flavor components, what chemicals or other components are contributing to these flavors,” said Dr. Pomper, according to the Courier Journal. “It’s really that kind of marriage of research and teaching, students and researchers, to try and help the industry. It’s very valuable to us to continue to support our training of students, to meet the needs of the industry.”
KSU shared in a press release that the partnership offered its students the opportunity to implement their knowledge in a practical, “real-world” setting.
“Our students are gaining invaluable experience while contributing to advancements in Kentucky’s signature industry,” said the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources at the University’s Land Grant Program.
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