New kind of bourbon tourism | Norton Commons restaurant | Whiskey by the Drink
Hello it's National Bourbon Heritage Month and the Features Team just dropped an AWESOME bourbon project on our site.
Did you know distilleries weren't allowed to serve cocktails until 2016? Once Senate Bill 11 passed and allowed distilleries to open bars and restaurants on-site, basically the whole bourbon industry in Kentucky changed.
Kickstarting a new kind of Kentucky bourbon tourism— The years since 2016 have spurred rapid distillery development and created improved visitors' experience, and it's not slowing down. Kentucky distillers plan to spend $3.3 billion over the next five years on capital investments. Gone are the days of 60 people herded through a distillery and tasting an ounce of bourbon at the end. Gargantuan and micro-distilleries alike are prioritizing intimate, unique visitor experiences tailored to what people want these days: something they can't get anywhere else.
What does that look like now? We sent features reporters in every direction this summer to tour some of the best visitor experiences Kentucky has to offer.
Oh, and here's a handy-dandy interactive guide to 30+ distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for you to bookmark.
Limestone Branch revives family history — In the Central bourbon region, Limestone Branch staff invite guests to feel, touch, taste, and smell the things that make its bourbon so special. Visitors can experience new barrel picks and limited edition blends as well as cocktails to make their visit unique.
Learning to make bourbon on YouTube — In the Bluegrass region, Lexington's Bluegrass Distillers is on the cusp of something big. With a quirky little tasting room and a distinct lack of corporate flavor, this craft distillery is working on a new location, refreshed historic visitor's center and more.
Family-owned moonshine — In the Western region, Casey Jones Distillery's main building features handcrafted woodwork, jugs of moonshine hanging from the ceiling and a super-secret family recipe. The small distillery is rapidly growing after building a bar in 2016 and pouring $2 million into a new expansion.
Ahead of the curve — In the Northern bourbon region, New Riff Distilling is the new kid on the block. It opened in 2014, just in time to build a cocktail bar and distillery with floor-to-ceiling windows. It's not surprising that lots of folks want to get married in the distillery's "Tower Room," which has a rooftop view of Newport. Definitely worth seeing with your own eyes.
In other bourbon news ...
Behind Louisville's 'Whiskey by the Drink' signs — These iconic signs are a part of Louisville's history, and no, you can't buy them. Turns out, bourbon used to be just called "whiskey," and you could literally buy it by the drink instead of by the bottle.
And here's this week's non-bourbon news:
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Dahlia Ghabour
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: New kind of bourbon tourism | Norton Commons restaurant | Whiskey sign
