Nearly 190 years ago, Augustus Bulleit was frustrated. As a proud tavern keeper from Louisville, Kentucky, he felt the bourbon he sold lacked distinction and set out to create the finest tasting blend in the world. After experimenting with countless varieties and mixes of rye and corn, he landed on a recipe with the character he had long sought after.

Mysteriously, Mr. Bulleit vanished soon after this discovery while transporting barrels of bourbon from Kentucky to New Orleans. Neither the company, nor history, knows what happened. Worse yet, his recipe nearly disappeared, too.

That is, until 1987, when Augustus Bulleit’s great-great-grandson, Thomas Bulleit, left a successful law practice to revive his family’s recipe.

“To this day, Bulleit Bourbon is distilled and aged in the Bulleit family tradition,” says Thomas. He attributes his company’s success to a high rye content (much higher than traditional bourbon) that gives Bulleit a bold, spicy character with a distinctively smooth, clean finish.

In addition, Bulleit is committed to all-American distilling. They use Kentucky limestone-filtered water as a foundation for the bourbon's character, as well as charred American oak barrels for a smoky backbone.

We’re huge fans, and we’re sure you’ll be too (if you’re 21+, of course). Sample Bulleit Bourbon and a few of their specialty cocktails at American Field Brooklyn on December 3-4.

Special thanks to Bulleit Bourbon for the information provided in this post.