Bourbon whiskey
American whiskey
Summary
Bourbon whiskey is a barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French House of Bourbon, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County, Kentucky, and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the House of Bourbon. The name bourbon might not have been used until the 1850s, and the association with Bourbon County was not evident until the 1870s.
Originally created by JeLuF
3/17/2002, 5:25:55 AM
Modified
5/6/2026, 6:12:50 PM
Recent revisions
I disagree with splitting this into a separate paragraph at this spot. The "medicinal whiskey" aspect only makes sense within the context of prohibition, and the entire paragraph is about the effects of that failed experiment on the industry. The lead sentence of the paragraph is more about Bourbon County's relationship to the name, and so was moved up to that paragraph.
/* History */ Clarified language
/* History */ Broke up long paragraph to make easier to read.
Pleonasm
Typo fixes + cleanups, [[WP:AWB/T|typo(s) fixed]]: ’s → 's
Updated industry economic impact with Feb 2026 KDA data. Added details on logistical challenges regarding record barrel inventory and the 2026 Jim Beam production pause.
/* top */ name according to article name and lead
Disambiguating American sense from other uses
/* Uses */c/e
/* History */ comma, [[MOS:REFSPACE]]
/* History */ Canada doesn't call government owned things "crown" the way the British do. So while it's expected for the BBC to write it that way, it's inappropriate to repeat it that way.
/* History */ Downturn due to trade wars
/* History */
/* Geographic origin */ rm trivial comparison
/* Geographic origin */ https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/21/business/jim-beam-tariffs-pause-production
Rm unnecessary clarification
[[Wikipedia:MOSNUMscript|script]]-assisted date audit and style fixes per [[MOS:NUM]]
/* top */ add sentence to cover post-WW2 boom
rm uncited, chronologically nonsensical non sequiturs from lead; moved 1964 stat to History section
Rescuing 13 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5
