When the Irish and Scottish settlers arrived in the USA, they brought whisky making with them. The first American whiskies were produced in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania using rye, although today, the two main producers are Kentucky and Tennessee. As corn and wheat were in abundance in the USA many people found that whisky production was a more profitable way of using their crops, as it was in great demand and easy to transport. The American government encouraged farmers from Ireland and Scotland to settle in the Southern states by offering them free land.