6th July, 2015 by Annie Hayes

More than 5.6 million Bourbon barrels were aged in Kentucky warehouses last year, the highest number recorded in 40 years.

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association revealed that a total of 5,669,682 charred oak casks were ageing in Kentucky warehouses in 2014 – the highest recorded figure since 1975 when the state’s distilleries reported 5.8 million barrels.

Kentucky Bourbon is one of the country’s most historic industries, and generates more than US$3 billion for the economy as well as 15,400 jobs every year.

Eric Gregory, president of The Kentucky Distillers’ Association, said: “The last time Kentucky had this much Bourbon, Jimmy Hoffa was still alive.

“The global resurgence of Kentucky Bourbon is phenomenal, but there’s much work to be done. The Commonwealth still produces about 95% of the world’s Bourbon, yet we rank eighth in the country in the number of permitted distilleries.

“Other states are changing laws and working to lure the next generation of distillers from locating in Kentucky. We can’t let that happen. We must modernise our archaic alcohol laws, especially in the tourism sector, and better compete before our historic monopoly slips away.”

The Association also revealed that production has risen by 170% since the turn of the century, with only 485,020 barrels filled in 1999.

In comparison, distilleries made 1,306,375 new barrels last year, the highest number produced since 1970 and the third consecutive year where more than one million barrels have been created.

To meet the rise, more than US$1.3 billion worth of projects have been completed or are planned in the next five years by the organisation’s members, ranging from new distilleries to tourism centres.

“This truly is the golden age of Bourbon,” Gregory said, “and it’s an honour to once again proclaim that Kentucky has a million more barrels of Bourbon than people living in our beloved Commonwealth.

“We look forward to working with our elected officials to keep the barrel rolling and to strengthen Kentucky’s rightful place as the one, true and authentic home for America’s only native spirit.”

Last year, Kentucky saw record-breaking numbers of tourists visit the state’s Bourbon Trails.