In American whiskey, 2014 will go down in history as the year consumers dictated to spirit companies. Whether consumers filed federal complaints, class-action lawsuits against brands, or created online crowd-sourcing support for a brand founder, U.S. consumers flexed their muscle and made their voices heard. Social media allowed a once silent minority to become a feared audience that often treats whiskey companies more like a never-to-be-trusted enemy than a booze manufacturer.

The bourbon shortage, flavored whiskey and Pappy Van Winkle likely fueled this angst. But nothing, and I mean nothing, gets their whiskey-soaked tempers flaring quite like a fake backstory. So, in the spirit of the consumer power, I gave my Twitter followers this task: “You’ve been given 500 barrels of bourbon to create your own brand. Create a fake bourbon name and back story. Go…”

While these answers are fiction, I can see these stories actually being slapped on a label. Here are a few of my favorites. You can see them all by clicking on the Twitter link.

Here’s to a great 2015. May your whiskey glass be filled with sweet russet nectar and your whiskey distrust softened with a believable story. Cheers!

Fred Minnick is the author of Whiskey Women.