When it comes to bourbon, there are so many misnomers. One of them is that September is National Bourbon Heritage Month. Well, that’s not quite true. It’s actually Kentucky Bourbon Heritage Month.
Here’s the history: in September 2007, the United States Senate passed a Simple Resolution that named “September 2007” National Bourbon Heritage Month. Here is the actual language of the resolution:
(1) designates September 2007 as “National Bourbon Heritage Month”; (2) recognizes bourbon as “America’s Native Spirit” and reinforces its heritage and tradition and its place in the history of the United States; and (3) recognizes the contributions of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to the culture of the United States.
This Resolution did a few things. First, it pushed the agenda that September truly belongs to bourbon. What makes this month the winner? Well, in September 1991, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival began and since all bourbon-related activities started happening then, well, September it was.
Next, the Resolution also solidified a common phrase used in the trade: “America’s Native Spirit.” While “Native Spirit” had been used in previous Congressional discussions, America’s Native Spirit had not been inked in a proper government channel until the Senate wrote it down in 2007. That little detail gave the bourbon industry marketing gold – it allowed them to officially refer to bourbon as “America’s Native Spirit.”
However, as good and as important as this Resolution was, it was never renewed. Note that the language specifically states, “September 2007.” And, as a Simple Resolution in the Senate, it was not law and non-binding, which would require the Senate to issue a new Simple Resolution every year to keep it active. This means that “National Bourbon Heritage Month” technically expired in 2008.
To bypass that little technicality, every year the Kentucky Distiller’s Association (KDA) puts a new proclamation on the desk of the Kentucky governor for signature, a proclamation that proclaims September as Kentucky Bourbon Heritage Month. This little proclamation gets the Commonwealth’s leader’s full attention and results in a year’s worth of press accolades for the effort. Since bourbon is a thriving $10 billion industry to a state that doesn’t have much else in the way of economic stimulus, it would be political suicide for a Kentucky governor not to offer celebration, don’t you think?
Now, while any state can produce bourbon—and the likes of Texas, Colorado, and even some California distilleries are growing and getting better—KDA’s executive director Eric Gregory notes the proclamation highlights Kentucky is “synonymous with bourbon. …. While this is a Bourbon Heritage Month like no other with so many events canceled or postponed, we wanted to continue this long-standing tradition.”
So, as you celebrate Bourbon Heritage, feel free to call it whatever you like, but this is truly Kentucky’s big moment, and know that real political and legislative efforts have been exhausted to make it so. Of course, to bourbon lovers, every month is Kentucky Bourbon Heritage Month. And every day is National Bourbon Day. Who wants a dram?
—
Photo Credit: WNstock / Shutterstock.com