This State Led In Bourbon Production Before Kentucky Took The Reins

As America's beloved home spirit, bourbon packs a storied heritage. Produced since the late 18th century, the liquor employed a corn mash base with aging in charred new oak barrels — a prominent difference from whiskey. Many of the spirit's early distillers got their start in the American Southeast, where corn grew plentifully, with the region that's now Kentucky eventually defining the spirit.

Yet although the Bluegrass State may now overwhelmingly lead production today, it wasn't always the top bourbon maker. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it was instead North Carolina that bottled the most corn-based liquor off of the stills. Also a fertile agricultural area, the state's abundant grain production (especially corn) translated into enormous quantities of the spirit. With expanding train lines ready to distribute, it all came together into a large-scale industry.

Into the early 20th century, over 500 distilleries operated in North Carolina. Producing bourbon, whiskey, and even white dog – a term that means unaged whiskey — the state held a status as a leading player in America's liquor and even wine culture. Then, with the passing of a statewide Prohibition in 1908 (over a decade before the Federal amendment), all such bourbon culture came to a halt.

Just like how Prohibition nearly killed American rye whiskey, decades of banned alcohol production and sales forever changed North Carolina bourbon. The Temperance movement continued in the state for decades. The first sale of a mixed drink only occurred in 1978, and it wasn't until 2005 that a distillery reopened following Prohibition. Conversely, Kentucky's bourbon industry already regained momentum by the late 1930s, establishing divergent bourbon trajectories remnant to this day.

Still, as North Carolina's liquor laws continue to loosen, an increasing number of producers work to revive bourbon styles. For instance, Southern Distilling Company of Statesville, North Carolina – once the state's spirits epicenter – produces a lineup consisting of rye-forward, wheated, and bottled-in-bound bourbons, reigniting styles popular pre-Prohibition.

There's also the revitalized Old Nick Williams Distillery, originally opened in 1768, that was once among America's biggest distillers; the brand even distributed globally in the early 20th century. Reopened in 2014, the label now releases expressions based on pre-Prohibition recipes, letting consumers sample liquor from times past. Over the last decade, many other North Carolina bourbon producers have expanded operations, too. So while Kentucky bourbon may still dominate, look for the Tar Heel State's revived renditions on the shelves.