 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
As you enter the Distillery Building to start your tour, you are engulfed by the aroma of our "sour mash" coming from the 14 foot high cypress fermentation tanks.
Following the Civil War, distillers in Kentucky favored using cypress fermenters because they were very resilient to water and held up well over time. They also did not give unwanted character to the product, as might cedar or oak. Our four fermenters, in addition to being 14 feet high, are 10 feet across, and have a capacity of 7,500 gallons, small when compared to other Kentucky distillers. In order to be faithful to our distilling heritage, we are the only Bourbon distiller that ferments all our mash in cypress.
As stated previously, during fermentation, alcohol is produced when the yeast and the fermentable sugars in the grains interact. During the process bubbles rise to the surface. These bubbles are carbon dioxide, a natural by-product of fermentation. When fermentation is complete, the result is "distiller's beer," which is approximately 18 proof or 9% alcohol. At that point, the "beer" is pumped to the Still Room to begin the distillation phase.
Open Tuesday - Saturday
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tour Times
10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., & 3 p.m.
Open Sunday
12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
April - October
Sunday Tour Times
1 p.m., 2 p.m., & 3 p.m.
Closed Major Holidays
April - October
11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Call (859) 879-1812 for information.