Old Crow - Definition

For the community in Canada, see Old Crow, Yukon

Old Crow is a brand of Kentucky bourbon whiskey, distilled by the same organization which also produces Jim Beam and several other brands of whiskey.

Old Crow is supposedly named in honor of Dr. James C. Crow, the Scottish chemist who is said to have invented the sour mash process now used by all bourbon distillers. In this process, a small amount of the previous batch is left behind to help activate the work of the yeast in the new batch.

Old Crow is a fairly famous brand, but has generally been associated with the lower-price "mass" market and is not usually thought of as a connosieur item.