You learn something new every day. Well, at least most days.

Last night I learned what “bottled in bond” really means for whiskey. This was a subject at Louisville’s own BIG Bourbon Club (BIG = “bourbon is good”) tasting event over at Joe’s Older Than Dirt. A good time was had by all, even with the history lesson.

Turns out it’s an 1897 law intended to regulate whiskey production. In the late 1800s a lot of people died due to tainted whiskey made by greedy fake distillers. A Kentuckian, John G. Carlisle, fixed that problem with the Bottled in Bond Act. Well done, Kentucky!

Take that, you anti-government-regulation types. Clean air, clean water, safe food, and pure whiskey. Government is definitely good for a few things.