Continental convergence is a narrative framework; the illustration does not establish Llull's authorship or priority. Distinguish fermentation from distillation and starch conversion.
The author deliberately begins before Kentucky to supply a long prehistory.
The opening chapter frames bourbon as the later convergence of Indigenous American maize agriculture and fermentation with Old World distillation knowledge and equipment.
PDF sheet 17
PDF sheet 10
Chapter 1 — Corn and distillation before bourbon
2026-09-29: fresh supplied-copy review covered all 320 sheets and 87 enlarged visuals. This entry is checked for fidelity to the cited passage, not independent truth. Copy lacks at least endnotes 39–56; earlier complete-source wording is superseded. Continental convergence is a narrative framework; the illustration does not establish Llull's authorship or priority. Distinguish fermentation from distillation and starch conversion.
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