Bourbon: An American Whiskey With Legal Rules
Bourbon is a corn-based American whiskey. It is one of the few drinks whose recipe is set out in law, and the same word names a French royal house and a chocolate biscuit.
Bourbon is whiskey made in the United States from a grain mixture that is at least 51 per cent corn, aged in new charred oak barrels. Those rules are not tradition alone; they are written into federal regulation, so a bottle labelled bourbon must meet them.
- American corn whiskey. *A glass of bourbon on ice.*
- A French royal dynasty. *The Bourbon kings of France.*
- A chocolate sandwich biscuit (British). *A packet of bourbons.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bourbon | Kentucky bourbon. |
| Attributive | bourbon whiskey | Straight bourbon whiskey. |
| Related | rye | A rye whiskey. |
| Related | whiskey | Irish and American spell it whiskey. |
| Related | whisky | Scotch is spelled whisky. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He drinks his bourbon neat.Neat means without ice or mixer.
- Most bourbon is distilled in Kentucky.It may legally be made anywhere in the United States.
- The Bourbon restoration followed Napoleon's defeat.Capitalised for the dynasty.
What the law requires
- Made in the United States
- At least 51 per cent corn in the grain mixture
- Aged in new charred oak containers
- Distilled to no more than 80 per cent alcohol
- Nothing added but water — no colouring or flavouring
The name comes from Bourbon County in Kentucky, itself named after the French royal house that supported the American revolution. The British biscuit, introduced in 1910, borrowed the same aristocratic name for a very different product.
Whiskey or whisky?
American and Irish producers usually write whiskey; Scotch, Canadian and Japanese producers write whisky. Bourbon follows the American spelling.
Must bourbon come from Kentucky?
No. Kentucky makes most of it, but bourbon may be produced anywhere in the United States.