The calendar is full of made-up holidays like Nationwide Grilled Cheese Day (April 12) and Nationwide Hug Your Cat Day (June 4). However Nationwide Bourbon Heritage Month could be very actual. The truth is, it was established as a vacation by the US Senate again in 2007, which signifies that all of us get a full 30 days to have a good time bourbon. And have a good time it we will.
First, see our primer on bourbon. Then behold: 13 enjoyable information about this quintessential American spirit.
- In 1964, Congress acknowledged bourbon as a “distinctive product of the US.”
- Bourbon is most intently related to Kentucky, however it may be produced anyplace in the US, with bourbon distillers positioned in California, Texas, New York, and in every single place between.
- Bourbon should be comprised of at the least 51% corn, and could be composed of nothing in addition to water, grains, and yeast.
- Bourbon should be distilled to no increased than 160 proof (80% ABV).
- Bourbon can not enter a barrel any increased than 125 proof.
- Bourbon should be bottled at a minimal of 80 proof.
- Bourbon should be aged in new charred oak barrels.
- Bourbon has no minimal ageing requirement, however to be labeled “straight bourbon,” the product should be aged at the least two years. Any bourbon aged lower than 4 years should embody an age assertion on the label.
- Not like rum and sure different spirits, a bourbon’s acknowledged age should be that of the youngest whiskey within the bottle.
- There are extra bourbon barrels in Kentucky than there are individuals.
- Bourbon takes its title from Bourbon County, Kentucky, which takes its title from the French royal household.
- Bourbon County was ravaged by Prohibition, and no whiskey was produced (legally) within the county between the years of 1919 and 2014.
- The Kentucky Bourbon Pageant is held every September in Bardstown, KY to honor and showcase the bourbon making course of and the storied historical past of this Kentucky-centric trade. It started in 1991 as a bourbon tasting and dinner, and has grown tremendously since then. In recent times, greater than 50,000 individuals have attended from everywhere in the world.