History of American Whiskey

From the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, American whiskey made it's debut in 1791, making American Whiskey just three years younger than our constitution. Great thing that whiskey was, it drew a lot of attention from the newly formed government. President George Washington (damnit George!) tried to levy a tax on the whiskey. George, we liked you so much and you did so many great things, why did you have to go and tax the booze. Don't you know whiskey makes people a little fighty? Not to mention the fact that many of the farmers who brewed the whiskey were war veterans who felt that this was a form of "taxation without representation" was worth fighting against...again. There were a few violent skirmishes, but ultimately no huge clashes. The government won...sort of. It was a short-lived victory as the Whiskey Tax was repealed in the 1800's.Throughout the time of our growing country, whiskey served as a form of informal currency. Contrary to popular thought though, one could not trade a single Smith & Wesson .45 cartridge for a shot of whiskey. That's not where it came from. The price of a shot was about twenty-five cents, whereas a Smith & Wesson .45 cartridge was roughly two and a half cents. So if you got that kind of deal, you were one smooth operator.With corn in abundant supply in America, distilleries opened up all across the eastern states. From the original whiskey, two distinct types were derived. Bourbon and Sour Mash. Each delivering a unique experience and taste.

Prohibition, enacted in 1920 and lasting 13 years put the kibosh on many distilleries and very few were able to weather the hard times. As we all know prohibition of anything doesn't really work. It just expands the black market for such goods. Dangerously produced moonshine that would make some go blind was a form of unaged whiskey.By 1933, the Prohibition era in America would come to an end. Modern distilleries and brands popped up with many of them being bought out by many foreign companies. There are still some that have remained true to their American roots...like Merica Bourbon.So whether you're ugly, your girlfriend is ugly, your family hates you, you hate your family, or your job sucks...Whiskey helps.