Colonel Bourbon Blog

We decided to have a little fun, and dig into the history of the Pullman Company; their iconic luxury passenger cars, and what was on the menu, particularly of course the bourbon and other whiskeys and whiskies.

(Photo: The Pullman car Amundsen, built in 1928, said to be used by U.S. Presidents from Hoover to Eisenhower. Photo credit Marine 69-71, from Wikipedia Creative Commons.)

The drink was born in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee; "mountain dew" was a slang name for moonshine. The brothers Barney and Allen Hartman developed the recipe n the 1940s, a lemon-lime mix they created since such a thing wasn't available in their new Knoxville home.

(Ready for our taste test, with Mountain Dew, originated founded as a whiskey mixer in the 1940s, and Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond 100 Proof, always a good solid choice e for mixing. Photo: Colonel Bourbon staff.)

As you walk into the event at The Bloc, you see Maker's Mark on the left...The L.A. Festival featured several new distillers, providing some exciting breadth to the whisk(e)y world.

(Pictured: The Los Angeles Magaine Whiskey Festival, 2022.)

Japan has been one of the most enthusiastic long-term markets for America's native spirit. In fact, the Japanese helped to keep the bourbon business afloat, leading to  the whiskey's renaissance we have today. Here's why Japan loves bourbon:

(Pictured: Shinya, Tokyo, Japan. During the 1970s and 1980s, when bourbon was unloved in America, Japan was -- and remains -- bourbon lovers. Wikipedia Creative Commons, Benh Lieu Song.)