Methodology
How we draw the lines
Bourbon paperwork is public in places and deliberately vague in others. Here's how we handle both.
Confirmed by a primary source: TTB filings, DSP records, an official company statement, SEC disclosure, or a distillery's own materials.
Consistently reported by credible trade press or acknowledged off-label by people at the company, but not documented in a primary source.
Widely believed within the enthusiast community, plausible from production evidence, but not confirmed. Treat as a lead, not a fact.
What the relationships mean
Owned by tracks the corporate parent holding the trademark today. Distilled by records where the liquid is actually made, which is frequently not the address on the label. Sourced from marks whiskey bought from another distillery, and bottled by covers blending and bottling done elsewhere.
Sourcing arrangements are usually contractual and confidential. They change. A brand that sourced from one plant in 2016 may run its own stills now, so every relationship carries start and end years where we know them.
Why it matters
Knowing the family tree does not make a whiskey good or bad — plenty of excellent bottles are sourced, and plenty of heritage distilleries make dull whiskey. It does let you judge price fairly, recognise siblings on the shelf, and spot marketing that invents a history that never existed.
Help us tighten it
If you have a primary source that upgrades or contradicts something here, send it. Every submission is reviewed against the confidence rules above.