Old Thompson
Encyclopedia
Old Thompson is a brand of blended American whiskey
produced by Barton Brands
, which is now owned by the Sazerac Company
. It is known for its low price among brands of American whiskey. The company refers to it as "an excellent value". The brand dates back to 1904, when it was introduced by the Glenmore Distillery Company
which at the time was owned by the brothers James Thompson and Francis P. Thompson.
It is a blended whiskey
bottled at 40% alcohol by volume
, and formulated from 80% neutral grain spirit
s and a 20% mixture of straight whiskey
s.
Higher quality categories of American whiskey sold in the market, such as straight whiskeys, are not allowed to contain added neutral grain spirit.
Under the U.S.
Code of Federal Regulations for American whiskey
, a blended American whiskey is required to contain at least 20% straight whiskey
s, and Old Thompson is formulated according to this minimum requirement.
The minimum alcohol concentration allowed under the U.S.
Code of Federal Regulations for American whiskey
is 40%, and Old Thompson is also formulated according to this minimum requirement.
There is no aging requirement under the U.S.
Code of Federal Regulations for American whiskey
for the neutral grain spirits in an American blended whiskey, although there is a 2 year minimum aging requirement for straight whiskey (and for the straight whiskey used in the mixture from which a blended whiskey is formulated) and there is a requirement for an age statement on the label of a blended whiskey containing neutral spirits in cases where the straight whiskey used in the blend is less than 4 years old. A labeling age statement on American blended whiskey that contains neutral spirits (per Title 27, Part 5, Subpart C, Section 5.40) ordinarily refers only to the age of the 20% content of the product that is the straight whiskey used within the blend, and the neutral grain spirits used in the blend may not have been aged. The company web site for Old Thompson refers to it as "4 Year Old Blended American Whiskey", and the picture of the label itself on the web site does not show an age statement, so Old Thompson is formulated from 20% 4 year old straight whiskey and 80% (un-aged) neutral spirits.
The company web site for Old Thompson says that it is "Blended from the finest quality bourbons available", so some of the straight whiskey that is used in the blend is Bourbon
. The picture of the label on the web site does not contain a reference to Bourbon. Possibly, not all of the straight whiskey used in the Old Thompson blend is Bourbon.
When comparing an American whiskey such as Old Thompson to whiskeys produced in other countries, it is important to keep in mind that the regulations governing American whiskey production differ from those in other countries. In some regards, the U.S. regulations are relatively strict. For example, there is no minimum percentage requirement for using some amount of higher quality (straight) whiskey in Canadian, Scotch, or Irish blended whiskey production, and as a result, such non-American whiskeys may often be made using a substantially higher percentage of neutral or near-neutral spirits. The one substantial way in which such other countries are more strict than the U.S. is in the aging requirement, which is set at a minimum of 3 years in Canada, Scotland, and Ireland. Under U.S. law, there is no requirement for aging of neutral grain spirits when these are used in a blended whiskey.
American whiskey
American whiskey is a distilled beverage produced in the United States from a fermented mash of cereal grain.The production and labeling of American whiskey are governed by Title 27 of the U.S...
produced by Barton Brands
Barton Brands
Barton Brands, Ltd. was a company that produced many distilled spirits and liquors. In 2009, it became part of the Sazerac Company of New Orleans....
, which is now owned by the Sazerac Company
Sazerac Company
The Sazerac Company is a large privately held and family-operated alcoholic beverages company with headquarters in Metairie, Louisiana.It owns and produces a large and diversified portfolio of beverage brands, and it owns and operates a number of distilling companies...
. It is known for its low price among brands of American whiskey. The company refers to it as "an excellent value". The brand dates back to 1904, when it was introduced by the Glenmore Distillery Company
Glenmore Distillery Company
Glenmore Distillery CompanyOriginally the R.Monarch Distillery founded in 1849 in Owensboro, Kentucky, the company entered bankruptcy proceedings in 1898. Monarch had long been producing brands that included Kentucky Tavern and Glenmore at the plant in Owensboro. In 1901 the company was acquired...
which at the time was owned by the brothers James Thompson and Francis P. Thompson.
It is a blended whiskey
Blended whiskey
A blended whisky is the product of blending different types of whiskies and often also neutral and near-neutral spirits, coloring, and flavorings...
bottled at 40% alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
, and formulated from 80% neutral grain spirit
Neutral grain spirit
Neutral grain spirit is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid that has been distilled from a grain-based mash to a very high level of ethanol content...
s and a 20% mixture of straight whiskey
Straight whiskey
Straight whiskey is whisky created by distilling a fermented cereal grain mash to create a spirit not exceeding 80% alcohol content by volume and then aging the spirit for at least two years at an abv concentration not exceeding 62.5% at the start of the aging process.Filtering and dilution...
s.
Higher quality categories of American whiskey sold in the market, such as straight whiskeys, are not allowed to contain added neutral grain spirit.
Under the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Code of Federal Regulations for American whiskey
American whiskey
American whiskey is a distilled beverage produced in the United States from a fermented mash of cereal grain.The production and labeling of American whiskey are governed by Title 27 of the U.S...
, a blended American whiskey is required to contain at least 20% straight whiskey
Straight whiskey
Straight whiskey is whisky created by distilling a fermented cereal grain mash to create a spirit not exceeding 80% alcohol content by volume and then aging the spirit for at least two years at an abv concentration not exceeding 62.5% at the start of the aging process.Filtering and dilution...
s, and Old Thompson is formulated according to this minimum requirement.
The minimum alcohol concentration allowed under the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Code of Federal Regulations for American whiskey
American whiskey
American whiskey is a distilled beverage produced in the United States from a fermented mash of cereal grain.The production and labeling of American whiskey are governed by Title 27 of the U.S...
is 40%, and Old Thompson is also formulated according to this minimum requirement.
There is no aging requirement under the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Code of Federal Regulations for American whiskey
American whiskey
American whiskey is a distilled beverage produced in the United States from a fermented mash of cereal grain.The production and labeling of American whiskey are governed by Title 27 of the U.S...
for the neutral grain spirits in an American blended whiskey, although there is a 2 year minimum aging requirement for straight whiskey (and for the straight whiskey used in the mixture from which a blended whiskey is formulated) and there is a requirement for an age statement on the label of a blended whiskey containing neutral spirits in cases where the straight whiskey used in the blend is less than 4 years old. A labeling age statement on American blended whiskey that contains neutral spirits (per Title 27, Part 5, Subpart C, Section 5.40) ordinarily refers only to the age of the 20% content of the product that is the straight whiskey used within the blend, and the neutral grain spirits used in the blend may not have been aged. The company web site for Old Thompson refers to it as "4 Year Old Blended American Whiskey", and the picture of the label itself on the web site does not show an age statement, so Old Thompson is formulated from 20% 4 year old straight whiskey and 80% (un-aged) neutral spirits.
The company web site for Old Thompson says that it is "Blended from the finest quality bourbons available", so some of the straight whiskey that is used in the blend is Bourbon
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
. The picture of the label on the web site does not contain a reference to Bourbon. Possibly, not all of the straight whiskey used in the Old Thompson blend is Bourbon.
When comparing an American whiskey such as Old Thompson to whiskeys produced in other countries, it is important to keep in mind that the regulations governing American whiskey production differ from those in other countries. In some regards, the U.S. regulations are relatively strict. For example, there is no minimum percentage requirement for using some amount of higher quality (straight) whiskey in Canadian, Scotch, or Irish blended whiskey production, and as a result, such non-American whiskeys may often be made using a substantially higher percentage of neutral or near-neutral spirits. The one substantial way in which such other countries are more strict than the U.S. is in the aging requirement, which is set at a minimum of 3 years in Canada, Scotland, and Ireland. Under U.S. law, there is no requirement for aging of neutral grain spirits when these are used in a blended whiskey.