Elijah Craig is generally credited as the "inventor" of bourbon for coming up with the innovation of aging corn whiskey in a charred oak barrel in 1789.

When was bourbon first made?

1789: Elijah Craig, The Father of Bourbon

It is a fact that in 1789 the Baptist minister Elijah Craig opened a distillery in Georgetown, Kentucky. Heaven Hill Brands produces a bourbon named after the "father" of bourbon. Another story of barrel charring moves into the 1790s.

What country invented bourbon?

The origins of the name bourbon are extremely uncertain. However, the most prominent contenders are Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Both took their names from the House of Bourbon, a European royal house of French origin.