James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits Fosters Resilience Within the Booming Bourbon Industry
There are a lot of bourbon raffles around here but the Kentucky to the World Best of Bourbon series comes with a story to tell too. For our first raffle, we’re featuring 3 rare expressions from 3 relatively new producers. Why? Because Bardstown Bourbon Company, Rabbit Hole Distillery and Castle & Key Distillery exemplify the innovative future of bourbon being shepherded in by the old guard. Kentucky’s state motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” might as well be about the bourbon industry and this story is the first peek we’ll give you behind the curtain of how the biggest names in bourbon are working together for the spirit of The Commonwealth.
For the past two decades the distilling industry in Kentucky has experienced unprecedented growth. Just about every aspect of the industry has expanded in recent years pouring in some $8.94 billion in economic impact annually according to a 2021 study by The Kentucky Distillers Association. For such an old industry steeped in tradition, the rate of growth has been a pleasant surprise for most and distilleries are scrambling to expand and hire in order to produce every drop they can to keep up with the voracious consumer demand.
In the past 20 years, consumers began seeking out authentic brands and products as a reaction to the widespread practice of adding artificial ingredients and using misleading advertising tactics in the spirits sector to create the illusion of an authentic story. Because of this, tradition has always contributed to the bourbon industry growth since production methods have remained mostly unchanged for decades. Additionally, the industry added a tourism focus in the creation and fostering of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, leading to a more premium and experiential cooperative between a majority of the distilleries in the state. The industry cooperation and the approach of ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ is unique as well. Not only with the group efforts for tourism, but also in sharing knowledge about production methods, equipment, etc. It is not uncommon for distilleries to have a piece of equipment break and be able to call up a neighboring distillery and borrow or purchase a spare from them to get by.
While comradery between individual distilleries had been the norm for years, Kentucky has lacked a central location for knowledge exchange and fostering collaborative research that is required to accelerate advances within an industry. That all changed when the University of Kentucky stepped in with a new program to house such efforts. The overall goal is to educate a new era of producers and innovators to join and support the bourbon industry in Kentucky in every facet of the business. The program started with a certificate in distillation, wine, and brewing and has since led a multitude of partnerships between the title sponsor James B. Beam Distilling Company and just about every other distillery in the state while simultaneously growing the institute itself under Director Dr. Seth DeBolt and research Director Dr. Brad Berron. The University of Kentucky will also eventually house a full pilot-scale distillery and barrel aging warehouse for further research and student programming.
“The Beam Institute as a public private partnership is a great example of how Kentucky works together to innovate, inspire the next generation and strengthen the economy.”
In a showcase of the current state of the industry and continuing research through the institute as well as through individual distilleries and outside institutions the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits recently hosted its 3rd annual industry conference. The sold out conference, kicked-off by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, brought around 600 attendees from across the country and even several countries from around the world to The Commonwealth for a knowledge sharing session covering a full range of topics including sustainability, diversity, equity, & inclusion, automation, tourism, and solutions for production waste streams.
In years past, these research and knowledge exchanges initiatives may have been looked at as over the top, but now people are eager to get involved out of necessity and because they see the potential the bourbon industry still has. The US continues to be the main driver of growth, but just within the last few months the tariffs on Bourbon imports in the EU were removed and the markets in Asia only seem to be increasing their appetite for the American made whiskey.
The hope is that these proactive efforts can continue to spark further sustainable growth for years to come and continue to showcase the best Kentucky spirits.
Find out more about our first bundle of bottles valued at over $3k by clicking here. Tickets are available for purchase on that page now through April 7 where you can join us at the Whirling Tiger (1335 Story Ave, Louisville, KY 40206) from 5-8 p.m. for a Happy Hour with representatives from the distilleries and the live drawing at 7pm.
This blog post is part of an ongoing series exploring the economic resilience and future of Kentucky’s workforce. To subscribe to updates, sign up for our newsletter.
