Bourbon is an interesting whiskey. Its roots are embedded deep in the culture of America and it is the only whiskey that has, not just a day, but an entire "legally designated month dedicated to it. As I have been reading through some of our bourbon articles here I thought I'd share a few highlights of trivia behind America's Native Spirit.
Did you know...
- Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, Kentucky just happens to have a concentration of distilleries. It is Kentucky's limestone that filters iron from the local water and is responsible for growing bluegrass to feed the champion thoroughbred horses.
- Bourbon has no minimum aging requirement except that the age must be on the label if it is less than 2 years old and straight bourbon is one indication that the whiskey meets that minimum.
- Corn must make up at least 51% of the mashbill for bourbon. Heavy rye use makes the whiskey spicier and wheat makes it sweeter.
- Prior? to 1840, bourbon was known as "Old Bourbon County Whiskey."
- In 1964 Congress deemed bourbon the United States' official distilled spirit and in the 1970's whiskey was finally outsold by vodka. However, bourbon has since made a great comeback, marked by the American Whiskey Trail and National Bourbon Heritage Month designations after the turn of the century.
- In 2010 bourbon sales reached an all-time high of 15,443,000 9-liter cases. In 2002 sales were a mere 13,137,000 cases. (Source: The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.)
