Cowdery, Charles K. Bourbon, Strange: Surprising Stories of American Whiskey. Made and Bottled in Kentucky, 2014.
1968 decision to create light whiskey rather than redefine bourbon, rye, and straight whiskey.
Charles K. Cowdery, Bourbon, Strange: Surprising Stories of American Whiskey (Made and Bottled in Kentucky, 2014), PDF sheets 188–191.
Charles K. Cowdery, Bourbon, Strange: Surprising Stories of American Whiskey (Made and Bottled in Kentucky, 2014), PDF sheets 188–191.
PDF sheet 191
PDF sheet 188
Cowdery, Bourbon, Strange, PDF sheets 188–191.
1968 decision to create light whiskey rather than redefine bourbon, rye, and straight whiskey.
September 29 fresh supplied-copy review: citation metadata and locator reconciled to the complete text and visual survey. PDF-sheet numbers are capture coordinates, not printed page numbers. Verified source fidelity does not establish historical truth. Treasury Decision6945,33FR983–986 (January26,1968) independently checked; separate Industry Circular remains unrecovered. Counterfactual rescue claim not established.
Source and locator
Canonical source · PDF sheet 188 through PDF sheet 191
Full citation
Charles K. Cowdery, Bourbon, Strange: Surprising Stories of American Whiskey (Made and Bottled in Kentucky, 2014), PDF sheets 188–191.
Short citation
Cowdery, Bourbon, Strange, PDF sheets 188–191.
Evidence and limit
Cowdery reports that in January 1968 federal regulators rejected most producer proposals to let higher-proof, used-cooperage spirits retain bourbon, rye, and straight designations. The agency instead created light whiskey, reasoning that the proposed spirits would lack the distinguishing characteristics consumers associated with traditional categories and that using familiar names would be misleading.
The original published Treasury decision now independently supports category creation and stated consumer-information rationale. Historical scientific findings are not modern scientific validation; no counterfactual rescue of bourbon is proven.
Verification
September 29 fresh supplied-copy review: citation metadata and locator reconciled to the complete text and visual survey. PDF-sheet numbers are capture coordinates, not printed page numbers. Verified source fidelity does not establish historical truth. Treasury Decision6945,33FR983–986 (January26,1968) independently checked; separate Industry Circular remains unrecovered. Counterfactual rescue claim not established.
Existing claim, literature-note and placement relations retained. Citation Status remains Ready.