Is Colorado Straight Bourbon Really Bourbon?

Whiskey lovers everywhere are eagerly awaiting Peach Street Distillers' spring 2009 release of Colorado's first bourbon.

But isn't all bourbon supposed to come from Kentucky? Not necessarily, says the staff at the Durango Herald. Unlike, say, champagne, bordeaux or port, bourbon is not a government- protected trade term defining the drink by region.

"Whiskey does not need to be made in Kentucky to qualify as "bourbon." The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau certifies whiskey as bourbon if it does not exceed 160 proof, is made from a fermented mash of at least 51 percent corn grain and aged for at least two years in charred new oak containers, " writes Herald Staff Writer Chuck Slowthower.

Slowthower also connects the dots between Palisade's Peach Street and a Durango brewpub called Ska.

You can read the full article here.