Sometimes you can learn the same information multiple times without really making all the necessary connections. It’s especially true with bourbon history- there are just so many connections it can be difficult to make heads or tails of them all. That’s why it is nice to approach the information a little differently sometimes.
The Filson Historical Society hosted a four hour seminar on Bourbon Barons at Bourbons Bistro on Saturday August 1, and it was a different approach than usual to bourbon history. This seminar looked at the lives of the people who made their fortunes in bourbon, not just the overarching history of bourbon with personal stories, as is the usual format.
The Bourbon Barons discussed in the lecture were William LaRue Weller, George Garvin Brown, Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr., James E. Pepper and Julian P. Van Winkle. Their names come up often whenever the history of bourbon is being discussed, but it’s always on the timeline of bourbon history rather than the timelines of their lives in bourbon. If it sounds like a petty distinction to make, you should start by reading Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage and then attend The Filson Bourbon Academy in the fall. Then you will be ready to delve deeper into the personal histories of these bourbon barons. It’s fairly common knowledge that Pappy Van Winkle never distilled bourbon, but do you know his relationship to the Stitzels, Wellers, and Farnsleys? This is the type of information that is covered briefly in Bourbon Academy but much more in depth during Bourbon Barons.
The next Filson Bourbon Academy is September 26.
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl
