Bourbon Bonanza

Round up the stallions and corral the cattle — there’s some Bourbon down yonder. But you don’t need a saddle and spurs to kick it with a glass. Both cowpokes and city slickers know a good thing when they taste it, and you don’t need a degree from the Ponderosa to know that when it comes to America’s native Spirit, everyone’s welcome to taste. Oh, you haven’t bellied up to Bourbon yet? Well. In the words of John Wayne: "Never trust a man who doesn’t drink." But that’s not you. Giddy-up. Bourbon is, indeed, a Western-born Spirit, firmly tracing its roots to the U.S. of A. Its origins get a bit murky from there, though. Some claim it was named after Bourbon County in Kentucky, while others argue that the label originated on Bourbon Street, where New Orleans locals nicknamed the new charred barrel Spirit about town, "that Bourbon Whiskey." While that’s certainly up for debate, what we do know is that the U.S. Congress declared Bourbon "America’s Native Spirit" back in 19