The world’s oldest operating bourbon whisky distillery is Maker’s Mark in Loretto, Kentucky, which has been distilling bourbon since 1805 and has been recognised as a National Historic Landmark.
In 1821, first known advertisement using the word “bourbon” to describe whiskey appears in Kentucky’s Western Citizen newspaper, when a firm known as Stout and Adams offers it for sale by the barrel.
In 1835, the “father of modern bourbon,” Dr. James Crow, begins experimenting at a distillery along Glenns Creek in Kentucky’s Woodford County. In freely sharing his scientific discoveries, he helps to popularize the sour mash process.
The name “Bourbon” was not applied until the 1850s, and the Kentucky etymology was not advanced until the 1870s.