Bourbon the word is French in its origin, it refers to the house of Bourbon which is a royal dynasty that ranged from France to Spain and ruled from 1272 to 1889. Famous Bourbon street in New Orleans and Bourbon county in Virginia and Kentucky owe their respective names to this one-time royal family. Bourbon is very popular on Bourbon street because of the direct route from Kentucky via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Most that have an interest in bourbon have heard the following statement: all bourbons are whisky, but not all whiskies are bourbon. Whisky is a distilled spirit made from fermented grain mash. The “mash” is a mixture of grains and water that has been heated, and most likely contains some combination of malted barley, corn, rye, or wheat. So, what makes whisky a bourbon? There certainly are many varieties of American whiskies, bourbon has always been the shining star of them all. 95% of all bourbons are produced in Kentucky, but bourbon is not required to be from Kentucky. Bourbon must be at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak barrels, and produced in the United States. On May 4th, 1964, things changed when the United States Congress recognized Bourbon Whisky as a distinctive product of the United States. When this occurred, there are certain standards that needed to be met such as bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn, it must be distilled in new charred oak barrels, and bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging.