Nope - it’s a popular misconception. Bourbon can be made anywhere in the US. You could make it in Long Island if you wanted, provided you had the necessary permits. It’s just that around 95% of it is made in Kentucky, so people think that it all has to be made there. Kentucky bourbon has a distinct taste mostly due to the water, which is often sourced from limestone-rich areas, so is quite alkaline.
Im going with 95% of the brands are in KY because MGP that was LDI that was the Seagrams distillery is in IN and Dickel is in TN and both make a ton of bourbon. There are brands that just blend Dickel barrels and sell those.
It’s a “gentlemen’s agreement” between the distillers that bourbon comes from Kentucky and the same spirit produced in Tennessee is called Tennessee Whiskey. It’s not a labeling requirement from any law or regulation; nobody is making anyone comply with the convention.
Wait, 95%? I thought the requirement was to be made in Kentucky, so wouldn’t that be 100%? Or are there weird carveouts in Tennessee or something? 🤔
Nope - it’s a popular misconception. Bourbon can be made anywhere in the US. You could make it in Long Island if you wanted, provided you had the necessary permits. It’s just that around 95% of it is made in Kentucky, so people think that it all has to be made there. Kentucky bourbon has a distinct taste mostly due to the water, which is often sourced from limestone-rich areas, so is quite alkaline.
Im going with 95% of the brands are in KY because MGP that was LDI that was the Seagrams distillery is in IN and Dickel is in TN and both make a ton of bourbon. There are brands that just blend Dickel barrels and sell those.
It’s a “gentlemen’s agreement” between the distillers that bourbon comes from Kentucky and the same spirit produced in Tennessee is called Tennessee Whiskey. It’s not a labeling requirement from any law or regulation; nobody is making anyone comply with the convention.