Bourbon whiskey, distilled since the 18th century, is a type of American whiskey: a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. Ultimately derived from the French Bourbon dynasty, although it is disputed whether Bourbon County in Kentucky or Bourbon Street in New Orleans inspired the whiskey's name. The name "Bourbon" was not applied until the 1820s, and the Kentucky etymology was not advanced until the 1870s. While the liquor may be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with the American South in general, and with Kentucky in particular.
