FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Distillers’ Association today announced that Boone County Distilling Company near Florence is the newest and 28th member of the non-profit trade group that unites and leads the state’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry.
Co-owner Jack Wells began developing the distillery three years ago to draw upon Boone County’s rich distilling history. Production started in October, marking the first legal distillation in Boone County in more than a century.
“It’s inspiring to see the investment that Jack is making in bringing Bourbon back to Boone County,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “We are excited that they’re joining our distilling family and adding another chapter to Kentucky’s unprecedented Bourbon renaissance.”
Wells, a long-time Northern Kentucky resident who owns a coal export company, said, “We are excited to become members of the KDA and are proud to remember the rich Bourbon heritage that once dominated the northern hills of Kentucky.
“As a brand, our challenge has been to imagine something that’s always been, making it new again. Our vision is to help tell the stories of the great men who built a Bourbon empire in Northern Kentucky.”
Boone County Distilling is located in an industrial park at 10601 Toebben Drive, about a mile off I-75. The distillery’s tag line, “Made by Ghosts,” harkens to the early pioneers who crafted spirits in Boone County more than 100 years ago.
In the 1800s, Boone County was home to Petersburg Distillery, one of the largest of its time, which used its convenient location on the banks of the Ohio River to transport whiskey throughout the country.
In fact, Boone County Distilling’s first product – Eighteen 33 – is named for the year that Petersburg transformed from a steam mill into a distillery. It eventually produced as much as four million gallons a year in the mid-1800s before closing in 1910.
The new distillery is 5,000 square feet set on 2.5 acres. It includes a 500-gallon pot still, four fermenters and a small bottling line with a capacity of 250 barrels a year. Barrels will be stored in a 3,000-square-foot steel building behind the distillery.
In addition to its small batch Bourbon, other products will include a gin or moonshine, possibly in the spring.
Boone County’s tasting room and gift shop is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours are currently by appointment, but Wells said they will be expanding in the spring.
Visit www.madebyghosts.com for more information.
Founded in 1880, the KDA is the state’s voice for Bourbon and spirits issues. Boone County is its 28th member and 19th craft member, building upon its record for the highest number of member distilleries since the Repeal of Prohibition.
The KDA’s diverse membership produces 90 percent of the world’s Bourbon, from legendary, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are building the next generation of the timeless craft and strengthening Kentucky’s rightful place as the one, true authentic home for Bourbon.
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 announced earlier this year that the state’s inventory of aging Bourbon barrels set a 40-year high in 2014 with 5,669,682 million charred oak casks gently sleeping in Bluegrass warehouses.
Production has soared more than 170 percent since the turn of the century, with only 485,020 barrels filled in 1999. Distilleries crafted 1,306,375 barrels last year – the highest production mark since 1970 and the third straight year with a million barrels born.
Gregory said, “This is the Golden Age of Kentucky Bourbon, and we are looking forward to working with Boone County Distilling to secure the integrity of our timeless craft and strengthen the Commonwealth’s rightful place as the one, true and authentic home for Bourbon.”
