The following story originally appeared in the fall 2024 issue of the W&M Alumni Magazine. – Ed.

The bourbon industry is booming. Since 1999, production of the spirit has increased by 475%, creating an industry worth over $9 billion, according to a 2022 report by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Despite its popularity, not much is known about the chemistry behind bourbon’s complex and rich flavor. Michael Crowder ’88 is working to fill this gap and unravel the chemical mysteries of America’s spirit.

Strictly made in the U.S., bourbon is produced from a mash of different grains, which must be at least 51% corn, a requirement that gives the spirit a distinctive sweetness.

Crowder began researching bourbon in 2015, but his connection with whiskey goes back much further. It all started in South Hill, Virginia. Growing up in a close-knit family, he remembers holiday reunions marked by good food, spirited conversation and, of course, bourbon for the adults.

“It was a rite of passage for the boys in my family to be invited into the front room where all of the men were drinking bourbon and talking about subjects that should never be discussed during family reunions — religion and politics,” he says.

At William & Mary, Crowder obtained the second ingredient he would need for his future research — a solid grounding in chemistry. He attended the university with his twin brother, Robert Crowder ’88. Both were drawn to W&M by its beauty, academic reputation and community.

“W&M was the perfect place for my brother and me,” Michael says. “It had the academic rigor we were looking for while also being small enough so that we knew many of the people in our classes.”

Robert pursued an accounting degree, while Michael ventured into the chemistry lab. With a fascination for science and an aptitude for experimentation, Crowder soon found himself conducting research with David Thompson, then chair of the chemistry department and currently an adjunct professor. It was Thompson who encouraged Crowder to consider getting his doctorate in chemistry, which he received from the University of Virginia several years later.

Following postdoctoral work at Penn State, Crowder headed to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, to conduct research and teach. He established a robust lab to study ways to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections with the help of undergraduate and graduate students. As a professor, he finally began his foray into the field of bourbon research, which was catalyzed by a trip to Moonshine University.

Yes, such a place exists. And according to Crowder, “It’s awesome.”

Located in the heart of bourbon country — Louisville, Kentucky — Moonshine University is a bona fide distilling school that provides classes and workshops covering every aspect of the spirit-making process. Crowder’s first visit was in 2015, as the chaperone for a group of his students who had been given a free, weeklong distillation course by Moonshine University founder and Miami University alumnus David Dafoe.

While attending lectures and workshops about the nuances of distilling bourbon, Crowder’s chemistry senses kicked in.

“It dawned on me that the bourbon-making field is really dominated by art more than science,” he says.

Resolving to change this, Crowder began his own experiments.

The first order of business was to determine the number of chemicals in bourbon. Traveling to The Ohio State University to use a $15 million instrument, Crowder and a student tested a sample of white dog — bourbon’s precursor that is produced after the distillation process but before aging. The result was shocking. They detected over 10,000 different chemicals. The identities of only a very small number of these chemicals are known.

“Imagine how many more chemicals there are in actual barrel-aged bourbon, after the white dog has undergone years of reactions,” says Crowder.

Realizing that he would need an army of students to begin analyzing all 10,000 chemicals, Crowder opted to run bourbon samples through a less sensitive device, a nuclear magnetic resonance instrument, which he describes as an “MRI for bourbon.” Through this method, his lab detected and quantified the 17 most concentrated chemicals in 250 samples of bourbon.

Amazingly enough, only two of these 17 chemicals contribute to bourbon’s flavor.

“This data shows that the chemicals that create bourbon’s flavor exist in the most exquisitely miniscule concentrations,” says Crowder. “We’re talking parts per million and even perhaps billion. It’s phenomenal to think about how sensitive our senses are at detecting these.”

Currently, the Crowder lab is on the hunt for more of the compounds that contribute to bourbon’s flavor, called congeners. With further experimentation and data, Crowder’s team hopes to create an app capable of clustering different brands of bourbon by flavor profile to help consumers choose their next purchase.

The Crowder lab’s work has even caught the eye of industry giant Buffalo Trace. The distillery awarded the lab a $25,000 grant to quantify the 17 most concentrated chemicals in samples from all 192 barrels of the company’s Single Oak Project. Leveraging the resulting data and other experimental findings, the distillery hopes to map the chemical profiles of these bourbon barrels to consumer preferences, Crowder says. This knowledge will help further clarify the relationship between bourbon recipes, flavors produced and market demand.

At Miami University, Crowder and his students have published more than 120 academic research papers. These papers span Crowder’s interest in antibiotic resistance and bourbon.

Aiming to reach a broader audience, he’s written articles about the chemistry of bourbon, coffee and carbonation for The Conversation, an outlet where experts break down complex research for the general public.

Crowder serves as a faculty fellow at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. A mainstay at the Institute’s Annual Industry Conference, Crowder has presented several times and is looking forward to the March 2025 conference, where he plans to give updates on his research into bourbon’s barrel aging process.

“The distilling community is impressed and excited by all of Michael Crowder’s analytical work,” says Brad Berron, research director at the Institute. “We’re looking forward to seeing what his team is going to come up with next.”

Outside of the lab, Crowder is kept busy teaching classes and serving as dean of Miami University’s graduate school, a position he began in 2020. In his free time, he enjoys educating the average aficionado through his Facebook page, “All Things Bourbon,” and through bourbon tastings, which he conducts frequently. With a calming voice and an unhurried way of speaking, he unpacks the stories, chemistry and history behind this beloved beverage. Bourbon continues to bring people together, just like when he was a child.

This Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, Crowder generously volunteered to share his knowledge of bourbon with fellow W&M alumni and friends. He was on hand at the Friday Night Fest’s bourbon and oyster tasting to share his expertise about the chemistry behind bourbon’s sumptuous flavors.