A Brief History of Bourbon and Its Native Roots

The history of bourbon whiskey goes back hundreds of years. The spirit has come a long way from a simple agricultural product to the global commodities market. Bourbon got its start in the early 1700s in Kentucky, which at the time was part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The area was populated mainly by Scotch-Irish immigrants who were granted swaths of land to grow corn. Having knowledge of the distillation process from back home, they produced distilled spirits from the corn they grew, creating a distillate known as whiskey.

Bourbon wasn’t a term in those days, and whiskey as we know it today, wasn’t either. Bourbon gets its name from Bourbon County Kentucky, more specifically, Limestone, a riverside port town. It was there that producers shipped their whiskey down to New Orleans via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

Elijah Craig, a preacher and distiller, is thought to be one of the first to add whiskey to barrels as a cheaper means of storage while shipping it south. By the time the whiskey reached port three months later, the charred oak barrels had turned the whiskey a slight caramel color and added a charming flavor. In 1818, Dr. James Crow, founder of The Old Crow Distillery, is credited with inventing the sour mash method of which almost all bourbon whiskey today is made. 

Today, bourbon whiskey is one of the most popular spirit categories in America. According to IWSR, bourbon held a 26 percent volume share of the whiskey market in the U.S. in 2016. In 2021, that number had grown to a 30 percent share and IWSR forecasts it to grow to a 31 percent share by 2026. Presently, there are 809 whiskey and bourbon distillery businesses in the U.S., an increase of 13.7 percent from 2022. 

Americans have a growing taste toward the spirit. The consumption of bourbon whiskey in the U.S. increased by 65 percent from 2002 to 2020. Even more, consumers' tastes are increasingly gravitating toward top-shelf bottles. The premium and super-premium tier is the largest driver of spirit sales growth in the U.S., led by agave and whiskey products. Christine LoCascio, DISCUS chief of public policy & strategy, reported that while the premiumization trend slowed overall in 2022, the growth in the American Whiskey categories (alongside Tequila/Mezcal) allowed the trend to remain strong.

While bourbon is experiencing stellar growth today, it wasn’t until the 20th century that it started to gain recognition around the world. 

How and Why We Celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month

Bourbon quickly grew in popularity worldwide in the 20th century thanks in part to Prohibition loopholes, where consumers could be prescribed whiskey for their “ailments.” It also grew in cultural significance. Frank Sinatra’s nightly tipple (read: bottle) of Jack Daniels skyrocketed the small Tennessee distillery into the stratosphere in the 1950s. It became a household product during the 1960s "mad men" era and enjoyed widespread popularity among American consumers, especially as consumption of alcohol increased, peaking in the 1980s.

At the start of the Cold War era, however, producers grew weary of its newfound fame. Fearing that other nations might attempt to appropriate America's indigenous product, the Bourbon Institute was established in 1958, exclusively dedicated to securing international regulatory protections for bourbon akin to those enjoyed by product categories such as Cognac and Champagne. Through active lobbying in Congress, bourbon was officially granted the prestigious designation of a "distinctive product of the United States" on May 4, 1964. This recognition ensured that bourbon could only be produced within the United States. 

This designation led to the modern renaissance in whiskey. Flavored whiskeys hit the market in the 1970s. The 1980s spawned the birth of single-barrel and small-batch runs, with brands like Blanton’s becoming hugely successful, particularly beloved by Japanese consumers. Cue the emergence of Pappy Van Winkle in the 1990s and today’s pursuit of hard-to-find, collectible bottles with MSRPs on par with vintage Burgundy, bourbon is more popular than ever before. 

With all this history, it’s no surprise that in 2007, a resolution was passed by the U.S. Senate, declaring September as National Bourbon Heritage Month. Introduced by Kentucky Republican Senator Jim Bunning, the bill asked that anyone who appreciates bourbon and its heritage, openly celebrate it responsibly. 

Bill S. RES. 294 not only cemented the establishment, culture and craftsmanship of the bourbon industry, but also enshrined it as a proud and enduring chapter in the rich tapestry of American history. This legislation reinforced the significance of the 1964 Act of Congress, which officially recognized bourbon as "America’s Native Spirit."

​