A brief history of bourbon.
Bourbon the whiskey of myth and legend. Our fathers, fathers whiskey. The symbol for the rough and rugged man, frontiersman, cowboy, and 1950s ad exec. Bourbon is nostalgia and modern times. This style of whiskey means or reminds people of different things. But what is it? And where did it come from?
Let's be clear. No one knows precisely where the name bourbon comes from. Who was the first to distill it, or who decided to age it in charred oak barrels? There is a lot of speculation, and certain brands market themselves as the first but take it all with a grain of salt, including this blog. Now that is out of the way, let's take a brief tour through the bourbon history.
Whiskey was being produced in the new world in the early 1700s, but rum was more popular. As the British taxed molasses and sugar cane, people turned to whiskey. Rye was the dominant grain at the time because it will grow about anywhere. This is mostly in the Pennsylvania area.
People start migrating and settling Kentucky sometime in the 1760s. It isn't until 1775 to 1800s that distilling starts to show up during this window. People like Stephen Richie, Elijah Pepper, Robert Samuels, Jacob Beam, Evan Williams, Basil Hayden, Brown Family, Elijah Craig, and Daniel Weller are some of the first names. There are many more with enough history for each to have their own book.
In 1798, 200 Kentucky distillers found guilty of making whiskey without a license. Also, whiskey from Kentucky begins to be called "Kentucky" or "Western" Whiskey to differentiate it from Pennsylvania, Monongahela, and Maryland rye whiskey. It starts being shipped to St Louis and New Orleans.
One of the stories to how bourbon got its name is that the Tarascon brothers used it due to "Bourbon County" and its association with their French homeland. Another is that the barrels being shipped to New Orleans were stamped with bourbon to mark the county. People naturally began asking for the bourbon whiskey.
Then in 1821, we get the first mention of "Bourbon Whiskey" as a type of whiskey in an advertisement in a Bourbon county newspaper. Also, in the 1820s, a man named James Crow comes along. A chemist from Scotland began applying scientific methods to standardize production and refine the product. He was the first to produce something that qualifies as bourbon by modern standards. Eventually hired by Oscar Pepper, he continued to improve optimum temperatures of distillation. Crow was the first to realize that limestone water removed foul chemicals and when to make cuts to get the best whiskey. He shared all of these findings for free.
Crow controlled the process from start to finish, including aging his own whiskey. The result was whiskey almost double than the rest and called "Old Crow."
The 1840s to 50s saw distilleries such as George T. Stagg, W.L. Weller, and Henry McKenna. Then in the 1860s, David M. Beam (son of Jacob Beam), the owner of Old Tub Distillery has a son named Jim Beam. EH Taylor opens his first whiskey office. Benjamin Harris Blanton starts distilling whiskey in Leestown on the site where the Ancient Age Distillery now produces Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon. Jack Daniels and George Dickel start distilling.
I mentioned a few big names, but the number of distilleries that opened, closed, and merged is mind-boggling and too much for a single blog.
In 1870 Old Forester, (headed by George Garvin Brown and JTS Brown) begins selling whiskey only in sealed bottles. This is a huge step in quality control because, at the time, most distillers sold the entire barrel to bars and retailers, which led to rectifiers. This ultimately leads to the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897.
Along the way, there would be laws, bonding periods established, trusts formed and dissolved. Not to mention the rise of the Women Temperance Movement (WTM).
To protect their brands and product distilleries, petitioned the government to intervene. This created the "Bottled in Bond Act of 1897". Mostly thanks to Colonel EH Taylor.
To be bottled in bond, a whiskey must be made at one distillery, distilled in one season by the same master distiller. Aged 4 years in a bonded warehouse, monitored by the U.S. Treasury, and bottled at 100 proof. This type of scrutiny guarantees that whiskey is pure.
Some people are never happy. As were many distillers that thought the Bottled in Bond Act was too strict. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 put a ban on mislabeled and/or altered food and drug products. The act did not define whiskey, so in 1909 President Taft created the regulatory definition.
Whiskey must be made from grain.
A product that was all aged grain spirits was to be labeled "Straight Whiskey."
If high-proof unaged grain distillate ("neutral spirits") is flavored with a percentage of whiskey, it had to be labeled as blended.
In 1920, the Volstead Act, known as prohibition, made it illegal to produce or consume alcohol. This effort was lead by the Women's Temperance Movement. Prohibition ended in 1933, and whiskey sees a resurgence, but this time not with rye whiskey—this new (relatively speaking) whiskey known as bourbon.
In 1938 the government expanded the regulatory definition to include a new rule. Whiskey must be aged in new charred oak containers.
The distilleries are barely able to get their feet under them when WWII starts. This shift's production to industrial alcohol eventually resulted in 44% of the 1.7 billion gallons needed during the war.
Post-war whiskey stocks are low and allow tequila and rum to gain in popularity, but by the 1950s, bourbon was back. It was not until 1964 that congress designated Bourbon Whiskey to be made in the united states. Congress wasn't sure who to hand the resolution to, so it ended up on the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. This committee is a catchall for all kinds of resolutions. The staffer that signed the resolution was named August Bourbon, why? Because they thought it would be funny.
The 70s and 80s saw a decline in whiskey sales and the rise of vodka (thanks to the Moscow Mule). Most people thought of bourbon as their grandpas drink.
The increase in the farm to table movement, crafts beer, and Mad Men has brought whiskey back to popularity. So much that certain brands struggle to keep up with demand. Craft distilleries are popping up across the country, merging new technology with old-school techniques. Exploring and resurrecting grain varietals to experiment with flavor. Distilleries in hotter climates are seeing the effects it has on aging. It is truly an exciting time to be in bourbon.
This is a brief rundown of the history that focused on the origins. There many more details and people that shaped and defined the bourbon industry we know today that would fill several books. My purpose is to give you an overview and peek into how bourbon was formed by more than myths and legends. Until next time!
Cheers,
Jake
