Bourbon whiskey is a type of
American whiskey: a barrel-aged
distilled spirit made primarily from
corn. The name is 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. Bourbon has been distilled since the 18th century. The use of the term "Bourbon" for the whiskey has been traced to the 1820s, and the term began to be used consistently in Kentucky in the 1870s. While bourbon may be made anywhere in the
United States, it is strongly associated with the
American South, and with
Kentucky in particular. As of 2014, the distillers' wholesale market revenue for bourbon sold within the U.S. is about $2.7 billion, and bourbon makes up about two-thirds of the $1.6 billion of U.S. exports of distilled spirits.