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

Is it tradition … or protectionism? And what happens when the bourbon boom turns into a glut? SOURCES: Andrew Muhammad , agricultural economist at the University of Tennessee. Brad Patrick , executive in residence and lecturer at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics, bourbon fellow at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. Danny Kahn , master distiller and distillation and aging operations director at Sazerac. Ken Troske , labor economist and chair of the economics department at the University of Kentucky. RESOURCES: " America's Bourbon Boom Is Over. Now the Hangover Is Here ," by Aaron Tilley and Sadie Gurman ( The Wall Street Journal , 2024). Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey , by Reid Mitenbuler (2015). " Code of Federal Regulations: Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits ," ( Electronic Code of Federal Regulations) . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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669. Why Is 95 Percent of the World’s Bourbon Made in Kentucky? is an episode from Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher.

This episode is 00:46:20 long.

This episode was published on Apr 3, 2026.

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