Louisville is the center of the bourbon universe. This is almost a universally accepted truth these days. Unfortunately not everyone has gotten the memo, especially those on the front lines whose job it is to represent our fair city to tourists. Last year I had the experience of attending a major event that was sponsored by a major bourbon distillery. When the server came around to take my order I asked her what kind of bourbon she had. Her response: “Um, Five Roses or something?”
Admittedly this incident did not take place in one of the awesome bourbon bars on the Urban Bourbon Trail, but it still presents a problem for our exploding tourism industry. When people come to Louisville the expect us to know at least a little bit about bourbon and horses. It’s what we’re known for, even if the vast majority of us don’t have much to do with either.
That’s why the Distilled Spirits Epicenter worked with local government officials to develop the Stave and Thief Society. This program trains those in the hospitality industry in the nuances of bourbon, sort of like a sommelier program.
The downside to this program is that it is very expensive- $1000 to enroll and $500 a year to stay current (by comparison you could send 8 staff members to The Filson Bourbon Academy for the same cost). This is going to make the program cost prohibitive for a lot of smaller businesses. But the upside is that there’s more opportunity than ever to train your staff, and once you plant that seed chances are your employees will take opportunities to learn more about bourbon on their own as well as spread the knowledge to other employees. Once you’re bitten by the bourbon bug there’s no turning back.
The next course is scheduled for April 6, just in time for Derby. If your staff is lacking the necessary bourbon knowledge to cater to the Derby tourists, this course may be your best bet. Learn more about the next Stave and Thief Society seminar by clicking here.
Photos Courtesy of the Distilled Spirits Epicenter
