******THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO ROAD CONDITIONS AT THE FARM******
It’s no secret that Louisville is taking its place as the center of the bourbon universe. We’ve historically been bourbon’s county seat, with distillery offices headquartering here and bourbon being shipped through here as well. We’ve got the Urban Bourbon Trail as well as the infrastructure to accommodate even the largest groups of bourbon tourists. Most major distilleries are within a 45 minute to an hour drive from Louisville, which leads to businesses such as Mint Julep Tours. An entire industry has sprung up around bourbon tourism, and it’s going to continue to grow throughout the boom.
In addition to all the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tourism that has grown by record numbers in recent years, Louisville has added its own bourbon tourism infrastructure. Whiskey Row on Main Street has historically been the home of the business offices of major distilleries throughout Louisville’s history, but now those distilleries are opening up craft operations along the historic corridor to attract tourists.
The first of these to open was The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in the fall of 2013. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is a working distillery and education center, distilling about 1 barrel of bourbon per day. It will soon be joined by Kentucky Peerless. Peerless is putting the finishing touches on their facility at 120 North 10th Street and will start off making moonshine while waiting for their rye and bourbon whiskeys to mature. The visitor’s center will be open to the public very soon.
Angel’s Envy has a facility at 500 East Main Street that will house their entire operation from grain to bottle and will also include an education center. Michter’s is having trouble with renovations of the historic Fort Nelson building, but soon there will be a small artisanal distillery there as well. Brown Forman has begun renovations on their historic Whiskey Row headquarters for a small Old Forester facility, and Jim Beam plans an Urban Stillhouse in the Fourth Street Live district.
Soon there will be abundant bourbon education facilities in downtown Louisville, which is the topic of discussion for the next Filson Bourbon Salon at Oxmoor Farm. It will take place February 26 at 5:30 in the beautiful library of Oxmoor Farm. Click here for ticket information.
Photos Courtesy of The FIlson Bourbon Academy
