50 Bourbon Quotes to Ignite Your Passion for Whisky

By Norbert Juma

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published July 14, 2023

Finding the most relevant bourbon quotes can be a daunting task.

We have created this comprehensive list to help you find the best bourbon quotes.

We have also shared interesting information about bourbon.

What is Bourbon?

Bourbon is a renowned American whiskey with a rich and distinctive flavor.

It has a deep amber hue due to its distinctive distillation process.

For decades, Bourbon continued to captivate whisky lovers around the globe.

Origin of Bourbon

The origin of bourbon dates back to the early days of American history.

It was in 1789 when the United States Congress passed the Whiskey Act.

This legislation taxed distilled spirits.

It ignited rebellion processions against the government, which were known as the “Whiskey Rebellion.”

To support the economy and encourage domestic production, Congress enacted another act.

The Excise Tax Reduction Act of 1791 minimized the tax burden on the production of whiskey.

This led to the wide-scale production of bourbon whisky.

Why is Bourbon so Popular?

There are numerous reasons for the popularity of bourbon whisky.

One of its distinctive features is its composition.

The grain mixture contains at least 51% corn.

Due to the high corn content, this whisky is sweeter and offers a unique flavor.

Other grains include:

Malted barley
Rye
Wheat

Another distinctive aspect relates to the aging process.

The bourbon is aged in new and charred oak barrels.

This offers complex flavors to the end product and gives a caramel hue to it.

The minimum aging period for bourbon is two years.

Distinctive Features of the Distillation Process

The process of bourbon distillation and production involves meticulous craftsmanship.

It starts with grain milling, which is then mixed with water to create a mash.

Yeast is then added to help ferment and convert the sugars into alcohol.

The liquid thus formed is known as the “Distiller’s Beer.”

This particular liquid is then distilled using copper stills.

After distillation, the bourbon is kept in the charred oak barrels.

The aging period allows the spirit to interact with the wood and draw out the flavors.

Other key factors include:

Temperature
Climate
Aging period

All these stages contribute to the overall taste and flavor of bourbon.

This is the area where the expertise of a master distiller comes in handy.

The distillers carefully monitor and choose the barrels for blending.

This ensures a consistent and harmonious flavor profile.

Bourbon: A World of Flavors

When it comes to the flavor profile, bourbon offers a wide range of delightful notes.

You simultaneously experience sweet, spicy, fruity, and oaky flavors.

The addition of wheat offers a smoother and softer mouth feel.

Top 10 Bourbon Quotes

These are our top 10 best Bourbon quotes to read.

1. “You say tomato, I say bourbon and coke.” — Drew Carey

2. “One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer.” ― John Lee

3. “The gift of bourbon does not end with the libation.” ― Edward Lee

4. “Krupa’s drums went through us like a triple bourbon.” ― Eddie Condon

5. “That’s country music for you – bourbon and the Bible.” ― Dave Haywood

6. “All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.” ― Fred Minnick

7. “I remain faithful to bourbon sour. It’s absolutely delicious.” ― Christian Louboutin

8. “Bourbon does for me what the piece of cake did for Proust.” ― Walker Percy

9. “A man cannot drink old Bourbon long and remain in his normal condition.” ― Rebecca Harding Davis

10. “If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven, then I shall not go.” ― Mark Twain

Bourbon Quotes with a Toast to Whiskey, Humor, and Indulgence

Raise your glass to these bourbon quotes, blending the flavors of whiskey, lighthearted humor, and unapologetic indulgence. Cheers to the spirit of enjoyment!

11. “Good corn also makes good bourbon.” ― Albert W.A. Schmid

12. “Bourbon does for me what the piece of cake did for Proust.” — Walker Percy

13. “Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are a bourbon biscuit.” — Frida Kahlo

14. “I happened to stumble across a case of bourbon – and went right on stumbling for several days thereafter.” — W. C. Fields

15. “Sure, I eat what I advertise. Sure, I eat Wheaties for breakfast. A good bowl of Wheaties with bourbon can’t be beaten.” — Dizzy Dean

16. “I was brought up to believe that Scotch whisky would need a tax preference to survive in competition with Kentucky bourbon.” — Hugo Black

17. “A man can take a little bourbon without getting drunk, but if you hold his mouth open and pour in a quart, he’s going to get sick on it.” — Lyndon B. Johnson

18. “Nothing is so musical as the sound of pouring bourbon for the first drink on a Sunday morning. Not Bach or Schubert or any of those masters.” — Carson Mccullers

19. “I know folks all have a tizzy about it, but I like a little bourbon of an evening. It helps me sleep. I don’t much care what they say about it.” — Lillian Gordy Carter

20. “The old barrels still have an abundance of flavor let in them, and they are used to add a bourbon touch to everything from scotch to beer to hot sauce.” ― Edward Lee

Bourbon Quotes on Spirit, Wit, and Allure

Indulge in the essence of bourbon with these spirited quotes, blending wit and allure, capturing the essence of whiskey culture.

21. “Take Texas the way Texas takes bourbon. Straight. It goes down easier.” — Edna Ferber

22. “I love coffee in a cup, little fuzzy pups, bourbon in a glass, and grass.” — Tom T. Hall

23. “There’s no app for a bourbon buzz on a warm day in a cool, dark bar. The world will always want a drink.” — Gillian Flynn

24. “I am Bourbon as a matter of honor, royalist according to reason and conviction, and republican by taste and character.” — François-René de Chateaubriand

25. “From Bourbon Street to Baton Rouge, the freaks come out at night in Louisiana, and nowhere are they more raucous and unnerving than at Tiger Stadium.” — Pat Forde

26. “If it’s not bourbon or sweatpants, it’s going in the garbage… No, don’t get creative. Now is not a creative time. Now is a bourbon and sweatpants time.” — Justin Halpern

27. “Sitting up all night would be pointless if somebody you loved wasn’t sitting up with you, picking out music to play and helping you kill the bourbon. Walking by yourself in the rain is for college kids who think loneliness makes poets.” — Peter S. Beagle

28. “For watching sports, I tend to drink Guinness; early evenings always begin well with a Grey Goose and tonic with plenty of lime; and on a cold winters night, there’s nothing quite like a glass of Black Maple Hill… an absolute peach of a bourbon.” — Martin Bashir

29. “Let us candidly admit that there are shameful blemishes on the American past, of which the worst by far is rum. Nevertheless, we have improved man’s lot and enriched his civilization with rye, bourbon, and the Martini cocktail. In all history, has any other nation done so much?” — Bernard Devoto

30. “Val, I’m on Bourbon—” “I will not venture down that street of crass iniquities and plebeian horror, Acheron. It is the cesspit of humanity. Don‟t even ask it.” Ash rolled his eyes at the Roman‟s arrogant tone. “I need you in the swamp.” Silence answered him. “We have a situation.” “Where do you need me?” — Sherrilyn Kenyon

Bourbon Quotes on Friendship, Pleasure, & Unforgettable Moments

Explore the essence of friendship, pleasure, and unforgettable moments through these captivating bourbon quotes. Enjoy reading!

31. “I’m old school. I was taught that ice was for bourbon, not for your arm.” — Rod Beck

32. “I wouldn’t want them [kids] to raid my liquor cabinet and glug down my bourbon either.” — Cheech Marin

33. “I think I can shelve the big plans of Netflix, bourbon, and anxiety attacks for a night,” Nate responded.” ― Katherine McIntyre

34. “My mama always told me there are few things a good hug can’t cure, and those things are what bourbon’s for.” ― J.T. Geissinger

35. “A greater evil than the restoration of the Bourbons to the world in general, and England in particular, can hardly happen.” — Charles James

36. “A friend comes over with an Ouija board. It spells out: Bourbon. Where’s the band? Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.” ― Kelli Russell Agodon

37. “I was drinking a lot of bourbon. I was miserable. I was starting to get work, but it wasn’t remotely satisfying. It was garbage compared to the theater I was doing.” — Nick Offerman

38. “Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s Inferno in a glass; fire walks down your throat, lungs, heart, and everything in between with an unpleasant aftertaste. We got along just fine.” ― Bruce Crown

39. “Over the years, he [Everett Dirksen] developed a style of infinitely subtle fustian, whose effect can still be remotely approximated by sipping twelve-year-old bourbon, straight, while reading Dickens aloud, in a sort of sepulchral purr.” — Lance Morrow

40. “He poured this to the brim with good bourbon (Miss Elling knew it was good bourbon because she had helped herself to a snifter from the flask during his luncheon absence on her third day in his employ) and spent ten minutes sipping the drink.” ― Matthew Blood

Some More Bourbon Quotes

Here are some extra Bourbon quotes if you are still hungry to read more.

41. “Bourbon is no longer made in the country that gave the amber-colored whiskey its name.” ― Berkeley Scott

42. “For the bourbon drinker, a highlight of summer is bourbon served over ice and the food that goes with it.” — Albert W.A. Schmid

43. “Between 9 and 10 a.m., American radio is concerned almost exclusively with love. It seems a little like ending breakfast with a stiff bourbon.” — Dean Acheson

44. “It is impossible that had Buonaparte descended from a race of vegetable feeders that he could have had either the inclination or the power to ascend the throne of the Bourbons.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley

45. “We could say that people who eat grits, listen to country music, follow stock-car racing, support corporal punishment in the schools, hunt ‘possum, go to Baptist churches and prefer bourbon to Scotch are likely to be Southerners.” — John Shelton Reed

46. “It’s one thing to ask your bank manager for an overdraft to buy 500 begonias for the borders in Haslemere, but quite another to seek financial succor to avail oneself of the 5-2 they’re offering on lie de Bourbon for St Leger.” — Jeffrey Bernard

47. “In economics, we borrowed from the Bourbons; in foreign policy, we drew on themes fashioned by the nomad warriors of the Eurasian steppes. In spiritual matters, we emulated the braying intolerance of our archenemies, the Shite fundamentalists.” — Barbara Ehrenreich

48. “I’m not out there screaming that women are drinking bourbon, but I think it’s a great beverage as an option. I’ve got nothing against drinking a Cosmo or Martini. It’s not like one is judging the other. It’s just delicious and slow and steady, and there’s something about sipping bourbon that to me is very relaxing.” — Mila Kunis

49. “Bourbon’s the only drink. You can take all that champagne and pour it down the English Channel. Well, why wait 80 years before you can drink the stuff? Great vineyards, huge barrels aging forever, poor little old monks running around testing it, just so some woman in Tulsa, Oklahoma can say it tickles her nose.” — John Michael Hayes

50. “Well, I ain’t seen my baby since I don’t know when; I’ve been drinking bourbon whiskey, scotch, and gin. Gonna get the high man I’m gonna get loose, Need me a triple shot of that juice Gonna get drunk don’t you have no fear I want one bourbon, one scotch and one beer One bourbon, one scotch, one beer.” — John Lee Hooker