June 14this National Bourbon Day! This day celebrates the Official Spirit of America – yes, we have one! Why bourbon and not…say, whiskey? To legally be a considered Bourbon, it must be 51% corn, stored in new (not aged) charred-oak barrels and distilled no more than 160 proof and barreled at 125 proof. So it’s basically aged whiskey.
This particular whiskey derives its name from the Kentucky County, which was established in 1785, and was a large producer of corn. The corn, once distilled, would be put in barrels and stamped “Old Bourbon” and shipped down the Ohio River.
Fast-forward to 1964, and a Congressional Resolution designated Bourbon as America’s native spirit. Since then, there is nowhere else in the world that can make a whiskey and call it Bourbon.