One of these original, huge counties was Bourbon, established in 1785 and named after the French royal family. When American pioneers pushed west of the Allegheny Mountains following the American Revolution, the first counties they founded covered vast regions. It included the current Bourbon County in Kentucky, which became a county when Kentucky separated from Virginia as a new state in 1792. This region included much of today's Eastern Kentucky, including 34 of the modern counties. Īnother proposed origin of the name is the association with the geographic area known as Old Bourbon, consisting of the original Bourbon County in Virginia organized in 1785. He proposes the whiskey was named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, a major port where shipments of Kentucky whiskey sold well as a cheaper alternative to French cognac. The late date of the Bourbon County etymology has led historian Michael Veach to dispute its authenticity. Essentially, any type of grain can be used to make whiskey, and the practice of aging whiskey and charring the barrels for better flavor had been known in Europe for centuries. There likely was no single 'inventor' of bourbon, which developed into its present form in the late 19th century. Similarly, the Spears story is a local favorite but is rarely repeated outside the county. Īlthough still popular and often repeated, the Craig legend is apocryphal. In Bourbon County, across the county line from Craig's distillery in what was then Fayette County, an early distiller named Jacob Spears is credited with being the first to label his product as Bourbon whiskey. The origin of bourbon as a distinct form of whiskey is not well documented and there are many conflicting legends and claims.įor example, the invention of bourbon is often attributed to Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister and distiller credited with many Kentucky firsts (e.g., fulling mill, paper mill, ropewalk) who is said to have been the first to age the product in charred oak casks, a process that gives bourbon its brownish color and distinctive taste. ĭistilling was most likely brought to present-day Kentucky in the late 18th century by Scots, Scots-Irish, and other settlers (including English, Irish, Welsh, German, and French) who began to farm the area in earnest. from at least 51% corn and stored in a new container of charred oak. Bourbon sold in the United States must be produced in the U.S. īourbon was recognized in 1964 by the United States Congress as a 'distinctive product of the United States'. distillers derived $3.6 billion in revenue from bourbon and Tennessee whiskey (a closely related spirit produced in the state of Tennessee). According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, in 2018 U.S. As of 2014, distillers' wholesale market revenue for bourbon sold within the US was about $2.7 billion, and bourbon made up about two thirds of the $1.6 billion of U.S.

Although bourbon may be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with the American South in general, and with Kentucky in particular. īourbon has been distilled since the 18th century. The name 'Bourbon' was not applied until the 1850s, and the Kentucky etymology was not advanced until the 1870s.

The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise inspiration is uncertain contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. Generally associated with the American SouthĬorn whiskey, Straight whiskey, Tennessee whiskeyīourbon ( / b ɜːr b ən/) is a type of American whiskey, a barrel-aged distilled liquor made primarily from corn.

A selection of bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys at a liquor store.

New orleans food and spirits