As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day later this week, it seems appropriate to note that bourbon is America’s only native spirit, as declared by Congress in 1964: ”the word ‘bourbon’ shall not be used to describe any whiskey or whiskey-based distilled spirit not produced in the United States.”
Nowhere does the law specify that bourbon must be produced only in Kentucky, but that is a common misperception, since Kentucky produces roughly 95 percent of the world’s supply (and all of the really good stuff). Armed with this shot of bourbon trivia, you may now go forth and win a bar bet on The Bourbon Babe. You’re welcome.
