Yellowstone

Yellowstone Bourbon is a bourbon whiskey with a deep history dating back to long before many of today's brands. Its origins date back to 1872, when it was created by Taylor & Williams of Louisville, Kentucky, as a tribute to Yellowstone National Park, the first public park in the United States. It was the excitement surrounding the creation of this park that inspired the brand name.

Bourbon was originally produced at the J. B. Dant Distillery near Cold Springs in Gethsemane, Kentucky. J. B. Dant was the son of J. W. Dant, one of the families who played a significant role in the early days of bourbon.

During Prohibition, the Yellowstone brand survived – not through unregulated distillation, but through medical prescriptions (so-called ‘medicinal whiskey’), which allowed the use of existing bourbon stocks.

In 1944, the brand was purchased by the Glenmore Distillery Company, which further developed it and presented it as one of the leading bourbon brands in Kentucky in the 1950s and 1960s. During these decades, Yellowstone was often the best-selling bourbon brand in the state.

Later, as the market situation changed and the popularity of bourbon fluctuated, the brand underwent several ownership changes. It was managed by United Distillers, and later the brand was purchased by the David Sherman Company (later Luxco). In 2015, another big moment occurred: Luxco partnered with Limestone Branch Distillery, which was founded at the time by brothers Steve and Paul Beam (descendants of the Dant and Beam families) to bring Yellowstone production back to the family tradition and Kentucky.

In 2021, MGP Ingredients completed its acquisition of Luxco, becoming the owner of the Yellowstone brand.

Today's Yellowstone Bourbon is produced exclusively at the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky.

The mash bill uses approximately 75 % white corn, 13 % rye and 12 % malted barley. This ratio, together with a specific cooking process (known as ‘open cook’ with gradual heating), promotes a balance of flavours between the sweetness of corn, the spicy notes of rye and the body provided by barley.

The whiskey is bottled at 93 proof (approximately 46,5 % ABV) and is labelled as ‘Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey’.