American whisky is the most regulated and classified whisky region in the world. It all started in 1897 when the US Goverment passed the first consumer protection act, the Bottled-in-Bond act. It guaranteed certain standards for the production of American whisky during a time where production quality was low. Laws were updated decades after prohibition to include definitions for bourbon, rye, and wheated whiskies. No other country defines these many sub-categories of whisky.