Bourbon Without Borders: The Global Appetite for Kentucky Whiskey and What It Costs the Barrel
Bourbon was once the most American of spirits — regional, idiosyncratic, and largely indifferent to foreign opinion. Today it commands auction prices in Tokyo, inspires Japanese distilleries to attempt their own interpretations, and anchors a global premium spirits market that shows no sign of cooling. Whether this transformation represents a triumph for American craft or a quiet dilution of something irreplaceable is a question worth examining with some care.