Andrew Jackson, 7th President
“I have never in my life seen a Kentuckian who didn’t have a gun, a pack of cards, and a jug of whiskey.”
Backdrop: In 1815, 2,300 Kentucky militiamen were sent to aid Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President
“Tell me what brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.”
Backdrop: Criticizers of Grant’s “alleged” excessive drinking approached Lincoln. Legend has it, that was his witty smart-ass retort.
Bonus: Most of you know Honest Abe was born on Bourbon State soil. What you may not know, Jim Beam created the now household name brand Knob Creek in 1992 after the stream that ran through Lincoln’s boyhood farm of which he referred to as “the Knob Creek place”.
Harry S. Truman, 33rd President
“Hugo, I don’t much care for your law, but, by golly, this bourbon is good.”
Backdrop: Spoken to a Supreme Court Justice as the Prez did not see eye to eye on a ruling.
Bonus: Every morning Truman would have the breakfast of champions consisting of an egg, a slice of toast, a slice of bacon, a glass of skim milk, and a shot of Old Grand-Dad.
Lyndon Johnson, 36th President
“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.”
Barack Obama, 44th President
“I would enjoy having some Kentucky bourbon with Mitch McConnell.”