He learned to make bourbon on YouTube. Now this Kentucky distiller is making big moves
A visit to Lexington's Bluegrass Distillers is a bit like hanging out with Louisville rap artist Jack Harlow back when he was still making mixtapes and selling them to his high school friends.
The tiny distillery, nestled into the back corner of a 100-year-old brick building called the Breadbox, originally Lexington's Rainbo Bread Factory, is on the cusp of something big. Like Harlow, whose 2020 single, "Whats Poppin," catapulted him into a whole new level of fame, the award-winning Bluegrass Distillers, best known for its Kentucky Blue Corn Bourbon, is about to undergo a major transformation.
"We started with nothing, just a bucket and a hot water heater that would generate 185-degree water because we didn't have a way to boil water to start our mash," remembers Sam Rock, Bluegrass Distiller's co-founder. "I literally taught myself how to make bourbon watching YouTube videos and now here we are a decade later on the precipice of tremendous growth."
A craft distillery that's very 'not corporate'
There's a lot to admire about the entrepreneurial spirit of this spirit-maker. Rock, who co-owns Bluegrass Distillers with fellow Kentuckian Ben Franzini, leads a small but determined team at the 4,000-square-foot distillery in Lexington. One of the current employees is Nate Haynes, our recent tour guide and a Certified Executive Bourbon Steward.
On a rain-soaked Tuesday in late July, Haynes began our one-hour tour in the distillery's tasting room. (OK, it's not actually a room. It's a two-sided covered outdoor area behind the building.) Upright bourbon barrels serve as tables, mulch crunches under our feet, and a huge diagram of a tasting wheel, which Haynes refers to throughout the tasting, is strung up against a black tarp.
"We like to keep things very much, 'not corporate,'" said the Bluegrass Distillery's owner. That "not corporate" feel extends beyond the look of the quirky little tasting room. Making great bourbon with minimal equipment and space seems to be an essential ingredient at this craft distillery.
"I like to call my tour 'The Bourbon Expert's Tour,'" Haynes tells our group as he begins. "I focus on the process and chemistry and how it lends us the flavors we get out of bourbon and why every distillery tastes a little bit different."
A soothing pitter-patter of raindrops on the tasting room's roof is replaced by Haynes's unpretentious presentation which includes, as promised, a brief chemistry lesson and explanation of the "tasting wheel" followed by an interactive sampling of five Bluegrass Distillers' products. Haynes's bourbon knowledge is laced with just the right amount of jokes and laughter to make even the bourbon novice feel comfortable and entertained.
The other members of our tour, Rebecca and Richard Sheeley of Mount Washington, Kentucky, have spent the weekend visiting other craft distilleries in the Bluegrass Region. They've saved Bluegrass Distillers for last for a special reason.
"It's my birthday," Richard Sheeley announced while sipping "Pickleback," a 100-Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in barrels used to age pickle brine. "My grandfather would have loved this, he made brine pickles."
Haynes adds that "Pickleback" is delicious in Bloody Mary's and Dirty Martinis and he uses it when he makes potato salad.
The final of our five samples is "Blue Dog Whiskey" and as the name implies, it's made with blue corn, which gives it an earthy, nutty and mildly vanilla flavor. Blue corn bourbon is the spirit for which Bluegrass Distillers is best known and like most everything at the distillery, the blue corn bourbon's origin is modest and entrepreneurial.
"Honestly, we tried it because no one else was doing it," Rock said. "It started in 2016 in a Crock-Pot as an experiment with a group of chemical engineering students at the University of Kentucky. I still have that Crock-Pot in a barn. I need to put it in a glass case and display it."
There are only a handful of distilleries across the country that use blue corn in their bourbon mash. Bluegrass Distillers is the only Kentucky distillery that produces a wheated bourbon with 100% locally sourced blue corn. Besides, "Blue Dog Whiskey," which is a seasonal offering, Bluegrass blue corn products alsoinclude the award-winning "90 Proof Blue Corn Bourbon," "Single Barrel Blue Corn Bourbon" and "Blue Corn Bourbon Bottled in Bond."
Haynes finished off the tasting portion of our tour with tips for enjoying Blue Dog Whiskey. "It's great in margaritas, Bloody Mary's and plenty of people like it neat," he said.
The remainder of the hour takes us inside the old bread factory, weaving our way through an overstuffed side room stacked to the rafters with a few dozen bourbon barrels, then into a slightly larger space where we peer inside the loan fermentation vat and stick our noses into a blue plastic barrel of white dog, the unaged clear whiskey distillate that comes off the still before aging.
With massive growth in sight, 'we scale up or just quit'
From start to finish, the experience at Bluegrass Distillers feels personal and authentic, as if Haynes is walking us through a tour of his home — if his home were three rooms and an outdoor patio. We end where we first gathered, in the exposed brick-walled gift shop whereSheeley treated himself to a big birthday purchase of his favorite products. We aren't sure what was inside the large box he lugged to his car but we're guessing it included bottles of the five products from our tasting including Bluegrass Distillers "High Rye," "Toasted Oak," "Pickleback Bourbon Whiskey" and "Blue Dog Whiskey" and Midway Distilling Company "Recharred Oak Barrel Finished Rye Whiskey."
"I liked them all," Sheeley said gripping his birthday gift.
The Sheeleys' visit to Bluegrass Distillers and several other nearby craft distillers is one small example of the popularity of Kentucky's bourbon tourism. According to Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association,15 years ago there were only seven distillers open for tours. In 2022, there are more than 50. This year an estimated 54,000 guests will visit Kentucky distilleries, an increase of 14,000visitors in 2019.
What does the boom in the bourbon business mean for the tiny Lexington distillery that started a decade ago in a 5-gallon bucket and a slow cooker?
"We're now at a point where we either scale up or just quit," Rock laughed as he glanced around the modest gift shop.
Bluegrass Distillers is currently undergoing a major expansion to the historic Elkwood Farm in Midway, Kentucky. The expansion will grow the business from its current 4,000-square-feet space onto a 62-acre farm about 12 miles west of its current downtown location.
Bluegrass Distillers at Elkwood Farm will include an expanded distillery, barrel warehouses and a unique visitor experience.
"This is a working farm and we're going to keep it that way," Rock said. "You are not going to visit and find a bunch of concrete and steel. You will find old bricks, gardens, and corn fields. We plan for this to be a very community-driven place."
The Midway location will highlight what the company calls the “grain to glass” production of bourbon. To that end, a sweet old farm dog named "Brian" who came with the sale of the Woodford County farm, currently guards the 25 acres of blue corn Bluegrass Distillers is growing on the property. When it's up and running, approximately 40 acres of blue and yellow corn will be grown on the farm and the company’s production capacity will increase from five barrels a month to a whopping 30,000 per year.
As for the visitor experience, the main farmhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and dates back to 1895, is in the process of being refreshed and should be ready to open to the public in 2023. It will become a tasting room, gift shop, and visitor's center. One of several structures on the property, which include barns and silos, will be used for a community farmer's market. Additionally, there are plans for an event space, outdoor family movies on weekends, and eventually, a community garden.
"When we first started this business in 2013, we never imagined bourbon would explode the way it has," said Rock. "This entire time we've had success by looking at what needed to be done and figuring out our own way of doing things. We plan to continue to operate this way in the new location, just on a much larger scale."
Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour: Bluegrass Region
Barrel House Distillery
WHAT: True to its name, this distillery is housed in the former barreling house of the James E. Pepper distilling complex which operated from 1879-1958. After a multi-year construction effort, the historic distillery — which after fifty years of neglect had fallen into a terrible state of disrepair — has been completely restored and is now tour and tasting ready. Grab a drink at the adjoining Elkhorn Tavern and explore the old distillery district — also now the home to the James E. Pepper distillery located just next door.
WHERE: 1200 Manchester St. Lexington
HOURS: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday
COST: Tours & Tastings for Adults 21 and over are $10 per person. Anyone 20 and under is free but cannot participate in the tasting. Tastings only are $7 per person. Active Military and Veterans receive a discounted Tour & Tasting rate of $7 per person with valid ID.
MORE INFORMATION: barrelhousedistillery.com
Bluegrass Distillers
WHAT: Bluegrass Distillers offers two experiences, the Tour and Taste of the Bluegrass, which includes a guided tour of the facility and a tasting of some of the distillery's products. The Taste of the Bluegrass is a tasting-only experience. Both experiences require guests to book reservations in advance of arrival. Reservations are never required to visit the gift shop or bar.
WHERE: 501 West 6th Street, Lexington
HOURS: Sunday, 12-4 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
COST: Taste of the Bluegrass, $5. Tour and Taste of the Bluegrass, $10
MORE INFORMATION: bluegrassdistillers.com
Castle & Key Distillery
WHAT: Take a tour or grab a cocktail and a snack from Taylorton Sation then walk around the beautifully manicured grounds designed by famous landscape architect Jon Carloftis. The distillery offers guided tours, outdoor music concerts, and yoga classes on the grounds. Be sure to make a reservation for these experiences in advance. As you leave the distillery, follow Glenn’s Creek to Millville where The Stave Restaurant is waiting to serve you some delightful southern fare and a crafted cocktail.
WHERE: 4445 McCracken Pike, Frankfort
HOURS: Thursday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 12-5 p.m.
COST: The Distillery Experience, $30. Springhouse Music Series, $10. Yoga in the Sunken Garden Series, $10
MORE INFORMATION: castleandkey.com
Hartfield & Co. Distillery
WHAT: Hartfield & Co. distillery located in Bourbon County offers two guest experiences. The Harfield Tour offers guests a tour of the facility with a tasting of Harfield products at the end. Tours are 30-45 minutes and are available to book online or walk-in. For a more immersive experience, Day as a Distiller lets guests join the Hartfield & Co team for a five-hour day spent working on the production line, learning about the process of making whiskey, and drinking some of the distillery's spirits.
WHERE: 320 Pleasant Street, Paris
HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday,10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday
COST: Hartfield Tour, $10. Day as a Distiller, $150 per person
MORE INFORMATION: hartfieldandcompany.com
James E. Pepper
WHAT: While the Pepper family brand has been around since the American Revolution, it was abandoned in the 1960s and resurrected in 2017. Located in downtown Lexington, the distillery includes a unique gift shop and a bar offering tasting flights and cocktails to enjoy at the bar or outside on the patio. Reservations are not required for tastings, but you will need to make reservations for the guided distillery and museum tour.
WHERE: 1228 Manchester St., Lexington
HOURS: Wednesday-Saturday tours start every hour between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sunday tours every hour between noon and 4 p.m. Gift shop hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
COST: Distillery Tour and Tasting, $20 per person. Veteran, $10. Active Military, Free
MORE INFORMATION: jamesepepper.com
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Explore the Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Bluegrass Distillers in Lexington
