National Bourbon Day on June 14 is the most visible moment in a sustained surge of interest from drinkers who have never considered whiskey their category. Bourbon rewards that curiosity more readily than its reputation suggests: it is the only spirit Congress has designated a distinctive product of the United States, governed by a precise federal standard that defines exactly what goes into every bottle. For anyone who has hesitated at the whiskey aisle, that standard is the permission slip.
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