<P> On May 4, 1964, the United States Congress recognized bourbon whiskey as a "distinctive product of the United States" by concurrent resolution . Bourbon may be produced anywhere in the United States where it is legal to distill spirits, but most brands are produced in Kentucky, where bourbon production has a strong historical association . Iron - free water that has been filtered through the high concentrations of limestone, unique to the area, is often touted by bourbon distillers in Kentucky as a signature step in the bourbon - making process . </P> <P> On August 2, 2007, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution sponsored by Senator Jim Bunning (R - KY) officially declaring September 2007 to be National Bourbon Heritage Month, marking the history of bourbon whiskey . Notably, the resolution claimed that Congress had declared bourbon to be "America's Native Spirit" in its 1964 resolution . However, the 1964 resolution had not contained such a statement; it had declared bourbon to be a distinctive product identifiable with the United States (in a similar way that Scotch is considered identifiable with Scotland). The resolution was passed again in 2008 . </P> <P> As of 2014, approximately 95% of all bourbon is produced in Kentucky . The state has more than 5.3 million barrels of bourbon that are aging--a number that exceeds the state population . </P> <P> Bardstown, Kentucky is home to the annual Bourbon Festival held each September . It has been called the "Bourbon Capital of the World" by the Bardstown Tourism Commission and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival organizers who have registered the phrase as a trademark . The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is the name of a tourism promotion program organized by the Kentucky Distillers' Association and aimed at attracting visitors to the distilleries in Kentucky, primarily including Four Roses (Lawrenceburg), Heaven Hill (Bardstown), Jim Beam (Clermont), Maker's Mark (Loretto), Town Branch (Lexington), Wild Turkey (Lawrenceburg), and Woodford Reserve (Versailles). </P>

How much of the worlds bourbon is made in kentucky