The term “bourbon” has become almost indelibly linked to the name “Kentucky” and countless popular bourbons come from Kentucky. Such was the reputation of Kentucky bourbon that it remains a common myth that bourbon can only be made in the Bluegrass State. This is not true — while a large portion of the world’s bourbon supply comes from Kentucky the spirit can legally be produced anywhere in the United States by law. Still that hasn’t stopped many bourbon aficionados from turning their noses up at bottles distilled outside of Kentucky and dismissing them as not being “real” bourbon.
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The Don'ts of Kentucky's Bourbon Trail
Ever wondered why Kentucky got this reputation in the first place? The main reason as you might expect is history. Even before Kentucky became a state in 1792 there were hundreds of distilleries large and small dotted across the landscape. The explanations for why Kentucky was such a magnet for distilleries vary from historian to historian but they always revolve around two factors: corn and water.
Corn is a key ingredient in the production of bourbon. To be considered bourbon the spirit must contain no less than 51 percent corn. As a result distilleries use a staggering amount of corn to keep production going. Century Farms an Iowa distillery that offers a program to make custom bourbon from local farmers’ own corn said it uses 45 bushels of corn to produce two to three barrels.
The bourbon recipe hasn’t changed much since the 1700s. When distillers fled the Whiskey Rebellion in the northern states—an armed response to the government’s attempt to tax alcohol sales—they naturally sought out corn-rich places to continue their craft. Kentucky fit the bill thanks in part to the abundance of corn plantations that resulted from Virginia’s Corn Patch and Cabin Rights Act of 1776. The act offered 400 acres of land to those who built cabins and planted corn in what was then Kentucky County in Virginia.
