Whisky · History · Short entry

Congress declares bourbon a distinctive product of the United States

On 4 May 1964 the US Congress agreed a concurrent resolution recognising bourbon whiskey as a distinctive product of the United States. It is a statement of the sense of Congress, not a production law.

Location: US Capitol, Washington, D.C., United States of America

4 May 1964

Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 (78 Stat. 1208) declared bourbon a distinctive product of the United States and asked federal agencies to act to prohibit imports of whisky designated bourbon.

Why it mattered

It gave bourbon the same kind of origin protection the US already gave Scotch, Canadian whisky and cognac.

What the resolution says

The resolution recites that the United States already recognised "Scotch whisky" as a distinctive product of Scotland, "Canadian whisky" as a distinctive product of Canada and cognac as a brandy of the Cognac region, and that "Bourbon whiskey" is a distinctive product of the United States, unlike other alcoholic beverages. It resolves that it is the sense of Congress that this recognition be brought to the attention of the appropriate agencies, so that they act to prohibit the importation of whisky designated "Bourbon whiskey". The rule today is in 27 CFR § 5.143: bourbon is a distinctive product of the United States.

The phrase "America's native spirit" does not appear in its text.

[1][2]