FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Distillers’ Association today announced that Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. in Louisville and Hartfield & Co. Distillery in Paris are the two newest members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour®.
A total of 10 micro distilleries now comprise the tourism adventure that was founded in 2012 to complement the KDA’s world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience. Nearly 100,000 people visited a participating craft tour distillery last year.
“Craft distilleries are a thriving part of our signature industry and are increasingly vital to the future of our iconic spirit,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “They are the next generation, and we’re all extremely proud of their growth and success.”
Corky Taylor and his son, Carson, have revived the Kentucky Peerless brand that their ancestor, Henry Kraver of Henderson County, made famous in the 1880s. The new state-of-the-art distillery opened in June and is located at 120 North 10thStreet in downtown Louisville.
“Kentucky Peerless is proud to join the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, and we look forward to sharing our grain-to-bottle experience with Bourbon enthusiasts from all over the world,” Corky Taylor said. “It’s an honor to be part of such a wonderful organization.”
Kentucky Peerless is producing Bourbon, rye and a new “Lucky” moonshine. Tours are conducted Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.kentuckypeerless.com.
Andrew Buchanan and his wife, Larissa, became the first licensed distiller in Bourbon County since 1919 when they opened The Gentleman Distillery last year. They recently changed the name to Hartfield & Co. to reflect their family’s distilling heritage in Green County in the 1800s.
“Joining the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour was one of our original goals when all of this was just a dream,” Buchanan said. “It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and effort. Being counted among some of the best distillers in the country is a true honor.”
The distillery, located at 718 Main Street in Paris, specializes in whiskies and rums. Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit www.hartfieldandcompany.com for more information.
Adam Johnson, Director of the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experiences, said, “Adding experiences in both Louisville and Bourbon County adds to the appeal of the craft tour for visitors looking to learn more about the state’s distilling past and innovative future.”
Other participating craft tour distilleries are Barrel House in Lexington; Corsair Artisan, Bowling Green; Limestone Branch, Lebanon; MB Roland, Pembroke; New Riff, Newport; Old Pogue, Maysville; Wilderness Trail, Danville; and Willett Distillery, Bardstown.
The KDA created the original Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour in 1999 to give visitors an educational and first-hand experience behind crafting the world’s finest Bourbon. It has shattered attendance records every year, with more than 625,000 visits in 2014 alone.
Its nine featured distilleries include Bulleit and Evan Williams, Louisville; Four Roses and Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg; Heaven Hill in Bardstown; Jim Beam, Clermont; Maker’s Mark, Loretto; Town Branch, Lexington; and Woodford Reserve in Versailles.
Go to www.kybourbontrail.com for more information on all tours.
Kentucky Bourbon is one of the Commonwealth’s most historic and treasured industries, a thriving $3 billion economic engine that generates more than 15,400 jobs with an annual payroll topping $700 million and pours $166 million into state and local coffers each year.
The KDA’s 27 members – the most since the Repeal of Prohibition – are in the midst of a $1.3 billion building boom to satisfy global demand and keep pace with its burgeoning tourism trade. There are currently 5.7 million barrels of Bourbon aging in the Bluegrass – a 40-year high.
“This is the Golden Age of Kentucky Bourbon,” said Gregory, president of the non-profit trade group founded in 1880. “But there’s more work to be done as other states are reducing fees, expanding privileges and cutting bureaucratic red tape to lure distilleries there.”
Gov. Steve Beshear and the KDA have called upon legislators to modernize the state’s archaic Bourbon tourism laws. Kentucky produces 95 percent of the world’s Bourbon, but currently ranks 8th in the number of operating distilleries in the country.
“Our historic distilling monopoly is in jeopardy,” Gregory said. “What if that number slips to 90 percent or 80 percent? That’s lost jobs and revenue that we may never recover. We must reform our tourism laws and defend our rightful title as the one, true and authentic home for Bourbon.”
