Have you ever been sitting around having a snort of bourbon and heard someone say something like “that just needs to sit for a bit,” or “Let’s let it breathe.” Maybe you’ve even heard that when pouring a glass, you need to let it sit for a number of minutes to rest before enjoying a pour. For newbies to bourbon, this might sound like mysticism – some high brow snobbery more akin to wine tasting theatrics. But there’s more than old fashioned ritual or groupthink relating to this advice.
Letting your brownwater breathe – which simply means letting it sit in the glass for a few minutes before you get rolling on REALLY enjoying it – can rather interestingly alter the way in which it tastes, smells, and even feels. WHY THE HECK IS THAT? What is this random nuance to what’s actually happening in your glass and how that translates to your senses to cause this transformation?
In today’s post we dive into the science behind the sensory effects of this phenomenon. So, buckle in – if you’re curious newbie or a seasoned aficionado understanding the interplay of the dynamics of what’s happening in your glass and the “breathing” phenomenon will certainly enhance your appreciation for the next pour you’re going to have!
Chemistry isn’t exactly most people’s favorite subject, and when you think about the chemistry of what’s happening in your glass, it’s complex. Bourbon is typically bottled at 80-130 proof and contains dozens – if not hundreds – of chemical compounds. Substances lingering around in solution include ethanol, acetaldehyde, methanol, esters and aldehydes. All of these exist as small molecules which readily evaporate into the air when exposed.
As you think about first pouring bourbon from the bottle to your glass, especially if this is a “neck pour” or the first crack of a bottle, the amount of these volatile compounds is more concentrated. As poured, they rapidly escape into the air, and on the nose, they can be a dominant and quite pointed aroma – “mmmm, ethanol.” If you’re looking at your flavor wheel, you’re not going to see this expressed as a flavor, but you’ll recognize it as if you were sniffing nail polish remover or isopropyl alcohol.
As you let your glass sit and the bourbon rest, even for just five minutes, those volatiles can evaporate, leading to a more approachable aromatic situation – giving way to notes like vanilla, fruit, or oak. Think of painting a room in your home and keeping it closed up after you’re done. You come back the next day and open the door and are hit with a wave of odors from that paint off-gassing. You open a window and step away for a few minutes and come back and can appreciate the space once it’s had a time to breathe – the same can go for your bourbon.
Air has hit your brownwater in your glass and the volatile compounds have evaporated off out of solution. As this air enters the equation another key process is taking shape which is oxidation. In the short bit of time you’re drinking your bourbon, this subtle process helps create softer notes. Particularly sensitive to the oxidation process are tannins – compounds derived from the oak barrels the distillate is interacting with. As they sit in the glass they can mellow and let more pleasing notes shine through.
Over the longer term, oxidation isn’t a really great thing for your bourbon – a few minutes of exposure to air in a glass equals good, longer-term oxidation can however degrade your bourbon, stripping away the character of the pour and leaving you with a fairly lackluster experience. This is a long-term situation however and isn’t something most necessarily have to worry about.
In some ways, the best way to think about breathing in relation to bourbon is reading a chapter book vs. reading the back of the book. You can quickly get a feel for what it’s about by jumping in really quick – or – you can take your time with it and take a journey that allows you to reveal a bit more about the story.
If you keep your bourbon in your basement in Maine, your experience is going to be a bit different than mine sitting in my garage bar in the throws of the Texas summer. Temperature also plays an important role in how you perceive your bourbon.
Not surprisingly, at lower temperatures aromatic molecules are less volatile, meaning that they won’t come out of solution as easily and thereby won’t find their way to your nose with the same intensity. It’s like any reptile in cold temperatures – they are sluggish and nearly immobile – put them in the sun and allow them to warm up and they spring to life.
As bourbon warms up, more compounds in the dram become volatile and aromas from your pour are more likely to reach your nose – and with a few degrees change in temperature – can unlock flavors you’d otherwise miss.
Sure, there is a lot of chemical changes and reactions that are going on that tie to the experience you have with your bourbon. But there’s a very human element to this as well. Your sensory network – your tongue, nose, and brain – need time to calibrate, especially if you’re coming off a week of staying with your parents who don’t drink, and you’ve not had a drop of beautiful brownwater while you are visiting.
That first sip of George T. Stagg can be a real shocker. You may go from being a proof whore to a sipping sally in that one moment tasting nothing but heat and alcohol. After a minute or two and perhaps a few nosing’s of your dram, your brain recalibrates and you’ll start tuning back into your regular programming finding your way back to subtle notes, textures, etc.
This is why experienced tasters often say, “Don’t judge it on the first sip.” That first taste is often just a warm-up — the second or third sip is where the real character begins to shine through.
Letting bourbon breathe is also closely tied to the kind of glass you’re using. A narrow-mouthed glass like a Glencairn or a Kenzie is designed to concentrate aromas and direct them to your nose, which can heighten both pleasant and unpleasant notes.
Choosing the right glass and giving the bourbon time to interact with air can work hand in hand to present the best possible version of your pour. This is exactly the reason that we don’t sell much Bourboneur merch – but the merch we have is predominantly glassware. We want to ensure folks have the best experience possible and that entails drinking from the RIGHT glassware.
Fun Fact: Our Bourboneur Glencairn’s are the first ever Glen on the market to include an etched in two-ounce pour line, allowing you to get a perfect pour every time….or…you fill it to the brim and consider it an early warning that it’s time for a refill!
If you’re skeptical — or just curious — here’s an easy experiment, you can do at home:
1. Pour two ounces of bourbon into two identical glasses.
2. Taste the first one right away. Make notes of what you smell and taste — be honest, even if it’s just “burny fire water.”
3. Let the second glass sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.
4. Revisit it without swirling. Smell it slowly. Sip gently. Compare it to your earlier notes.
Chances are, you’ll notice a difference. It might be subtle or dramatic, depending on the bourbon, your glassware, and your environment — but it’s a difference worth discovering.
In the end, letting your bourbon breathe isn’t about being pretentious or following rituals for their own sake. It’s about enhancing your sensory experience. Bourbon is a product of craftsmanship, time, and natural chemistry — it makes sense that appreciating it might also take a little time.
So next time you pour a dram, resist the urge to dive in right away. Take a moment. In a world that often rushes us through everything, that little pause — that breath — can make all the difference.
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