Today, June 14, is truly a “Made in America” day of celebration. It’s Flag Day, the day we honor our nation’s flag and all it represents. Remarkably, on this same day we also celebrate National Bourbon Day, recognizing bourbon as America’s “official” native spirit.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved: “That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Over the centuries, that first flag evolved into the one we proudly fly today, with its 13 stripes and 50 stars. I have always considered it the most striking national flag in the world. While opinions about our country and its symbols may differ, the flag remains a powerful emblem of the freedoms and opportunities that generations of Americans have worked to preserve.
National Bourbon Day came much later. On May 4, 1964, Congress declared bourbon a “distinctive product of the United States.” I am not sure when the national holiday itself originated, nor why it came to be celebrated on June 14. Tradition — or perhaps legend — holds that June 14 marks the first time bourbon was distilled, though it is difficult, if not impossible to prove. The date likely owes as much to distillery marketing as to historical fact, but who could object to such a celebration? There is certainly an argument to be made for pairing it with Flag Day, given bourbon’s uniquely American heritage.
So fly the flag, enjoy a sip of bourbon, and take a moment to appreciate both.
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