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?

Part of understanding American whiskey is to know how the government identifies and defines a particular whiskey. The responsibility of enforcing the labeling requirements falls on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB. It can get complicated but think of it as three filters.

1. Is it whiskey?

2. What type of whiskey (class) is it?

3. Defining the type of whiskey (age)?