The remarkable success of bourbon—relegated to the dreary category of “brown goods”—has been as much the result of marketing and media as it has the intense competition among producers, many of which didn’t even exist ten years ago. Of the top 10 best-selling whiskeys in the world, Jameson Irish is in first place, but bourbon takes five of the next nine slots, including established brands like Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Buffalo Trace. Global bourbon sales are expected to reach $12.3 billion.
