The Bourbon Boom is real. More than 10 years into it, this is more than a fad. But it is hard to see history while it is going on. To paint a picture, here are some of the major milestones of the boom and the years leading up to it.
1970 – After 25 years of steady growth, bourbon sales begin a long, sharp decline.
1980 – The Wall Street Journal publishes on its front page a favorable story about Maker’s Mark bourbon, and the tiny, family-owned Kentucky brand takes off.
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1984 – The Bourbon Boom begins – in Japan. Sales reach two million cases, from a base of 2,000 cases in 1969. I. W. Harper is the #1 brand. Age International launches Blanton’s, the first single-barrel bourbon (made at what is now Buffalo Trace), in Japan and the United States.
1988 – Jack Daniel’s offers its first ‘step-up’ expression, Gentleman Jack. Jim Beam releases Booker’s Bourbon to the public, a first run of just 6,000 bottles.
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