This past week we had the opportunity to make history. Ross & Squibb Distillery, owned by MGP Ingredients is often shrouded in mystery only in that it isn’t open for public tours or really anyone else for that matter. While there, we got to do something no outside visitor has done in 80+ years.

Bourbon is beginning to settle into a “been there, done that” period. As bourbon consumers finally come down off this finished whiskey and gimmick “high,” the question arises: What direction will bourbon move to drive consumers to continually stay invested in it?

Bourbon lovers may find themselves venturing deeper down the rabbit hole in search of something else other than the latest limited release. That something else is often what the greater whiskey collective calls, “dusties.” What makes dusties different from modern day bourbons? Are they better than the bourbons of today? Just what makes them so alluring?

It’s been almost a year since the bourbon world was thunderstruck by the news of MGP Ingredients’ acquisition of Penelope Bourbon. This begs the question, what’s next?

What is bourbon? The answer is both simple and complex. Is ignorance bliss, or do you really want to know how to define the one spirit we can call 100% American?