Old Crow

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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 connoisseur item.

[edit] Old Crow in Popular Culture

In one of their signature songs, "Doreen," the Country Rock cult-legends The Old 97s mention the drink. "The guy who plays the banjo keeps on handing me the Old Crow, which multiplies my sorrows I can't take it anymore.

Old Crow is also mentioned in the Tom Waits song "Gin Soaked Boy" on the album Swordfishtrombones.

Old Crow is the drink of choice of Robert DeNiro's character, Dwight, in the film "This Boy's Life", where he often drinks straight from the bottle, as is customary.