Bourbon is defined under United States law as a distilled spirit made from a mash of at least 51% corn, then aged in charred, new white oak barrels. Contrary to popular belief, it does not have to be produced in Kentucky. The name originates from corn whiskey shipped from Bourbon County, Kentucky in barrels marked “bourbon”. It could take a few months for the barrels of white whiskey to reach the Mississippi River port of New Orleans, and by the time they arrived they’d become a superior product that people would ask for by name. Kentuckian began to age their corn whiskeys before sending them to market, establishing the style we’re familiar with today.