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Whiskey fast facts

Think you know everything there is about American whiskey? Read on and really amaze your buddies with your stunning command of booze news.

• Got milk? You do if you’re a dairy farmer near a distillery. Farmers often pick up the discarded pulp of corn and other grains used to make whiskey. These relationships help the distilleries dispose of excess grain waste and give the farmers a nutrient-rich feed for their livestock. The feed helps the cows produce more milk.

• Barrels are used to age bourbon and Tennessee whiskey just once. After that, they’re shipped off to other distilleries for use in aging scotch, tequila and other spirits. About 70 percent of the barrels used to age Johnnie Walker scotch first held George Dickel Tennessee whiskey.

• In Australia, many Jim Beam fans get their favorite Kentucky bourbon from a can, premixed with cola in a ready-to-drink package.

• As it ages, nearly a third of the whiskey poured into a barrel is lost to evaporation. Distillers refer to this as the “angel share.”

• More than 50 percent of the purchase price of a fifth of whiskey in the U.S. goes to taxes — federal, state and local.

• On the first Friday of every month, employees at Jack Daniel’s get a free bottle.

• To be classified as “straight” bourbon, whiskey must be aged for a minimum of two years.

Source: Times research, American Whiskey Trail tours