669. Why Is 95 Percent of the World’s Bourbon Made in Kentucky?

Is it tradition … or protectionism? And what happens when the bourbon boom turns into a glut?

• SOURCES:
  • Andrew Muhammad, agricultural economist at the University of Tennessee.
  • Brad Patrick, executive in residence and lecturer at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics, bourbon fellow at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits.
  • Danny Kahn, master distiller and distillation and aging operations director at Sazerac.
  • Ken Troske, labor economist and chair of the economics department at the University of Kentucky.

• RESOURCES:
  • “America’s Bourbon Boom Is Over. Now the Hangover Is Here,” by Aaron Tilley and Sadie Gurman (The Wall Street Journal, 2024).
  • Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey, by Reid Mitenbuler (2015).
  • “Code of Federal Regulations: Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits,” (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations).

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