My first instinct to the question “Can Bourbon be made in US Territories like Puerto Rico and Guam?” is to say no. The regulations never mention territories and so if it counted I think it would be mention territories in official docs like the TTB Standards of Identity. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if maybe, possibly, it was implied that Bourbon could be made in US-owned territories outside of the 50 United States. So I reached out to the TTB and asked. Here’s what they said.
Hello,
I reached out to our Regulations Division and they confirmed that Bourbon Whisky can be produced in Puerto Rico and Guam. Please reference United States in 27 CFR 5.11.
Regards,
Paula A. Landsberger
ALFD Senior Labeling Specialist
Thanks Paula. Pulling up 27 CFR 5.11 the USA is defined as “United States. The several States and Territories and the District of Columbia; the term “State” includes a Territory and the District of Columbia; and the term “Territory” means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.”
So there you have it. You can indeed make bourbon in US territories like Puerto Rico, Guam and even the Virgin Islands. Now the question is… who’s going to be the first to do it? I feel like this could be an excellent aging experiment for someone like Buffalo Trace or Jefferson’s or even a whole new distillery opportunity for someone like Diageo. Let’s hope someone does it soon because I’m, now, super curious about the impact these tropical climates would have on bourbon maturation.
Till the next question, cheers!
