If you are looking to learn more about Kentucky's version of American whiskey, bourbon, there are certainly vast literary resources to choose from. Bourbon - named after the county in the state of Kentucky - traces its roots back to Baptist minister Elijah Craig (at least in theory, as there is no evidentiary proof of this legend) and the late nineteenth century. Everyone knows that all bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskeys are bourbon: the laws that distinguish bourbon from the pack outline that the product must be made in the U.S., it must be made with between 51 and 79% Indian corn, and it must be aged for at least two years (though most bourbons age in oak barrels for at least four years). But not everyone knows the down-and-dirty details of Kentucky's vast bourbon resources, or the historical vision behind them.
(more…)