669. Why Is 95 Percent of the World’s Bourbon Made in Kentucky?

Most products can be sold pretty much as soon as they're made, and that's important if you're in the business of making things because you can start earning back your investment right away. But some products require a further investment of time after they've been manufactured. It could be years worth of time. time. Certain cheeses come to mind, wine occasionally, but especially spirits.

The most famous example is scotch whiskey. The older the barrel, the dearer the bottle. And the most famous American example is bourbon. I don't happen to drink much bourbon, but the bourbon industry started to sound interesting when we did a three-part series on the horse. industry.

That series is called The Horse is Us, if you'd like to listen. One interesting feature of the thoroughbred horse market is how concentrated it is in one relatively small area, the bluegrass region surrounding Lexington, Kentucky. Can you guess another industry that is concentrated in one small part of Kentucky? Correct. Bourbon.

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