Kentucky Artisan Distillery Opens Clubhouse

Located at 6316 Old LaGrange Road, just a half a mile from the craft operations which have helped provide a home base for brands like Jefferson’s Reserve, Cream of Kentucky and Whiskey Row Bourbon, the Clubhouse will for the first time be offering visitors the chance to taste KAD whiskeys – straight from the barrel. 

“Kentucky Artisan Distillery is unique among craft distilleries,“ says Master Distiller Jade Peterson. “Our Distillery is truly as close as a modern production facility can get to how bourbon was crafted 200 years ago. Our grains are harvested from fields just a mile away and under the care of our team undergo the process of milling, mashing, distilling, aging and bottling right here on site. For more than a decade we’ve been home to some of the finest brands in the market and now are thrilled to be able to share the Kentucky Artisan Distillery barrel tasting experience with visitors.” 

KAD was founded in 2012 by Steve Thompson, Chris Miller and Mike Loring who came together to create a place for people to come and ‘bottle their dreams.’ It would be the first contract distillery in Kentucky focused on helping customers start new brands, and, at that time, was the only production sized farm-to-bottle distillery capable of distilling as little as ten barrels for a special occasion up to more than 2,000 barrels a year for retail partners. Today its core business remains a thriving contract distilling operation, that crafts custom whiskeys and bourbons for clients, as well as a bottling and co-packing operation, able to process up to 1,000 cases a day. 

“Our years of distilling experience and deep connection to Kentucky bourbon, means we infuse quality and authenticity in every barrel we produce,” added Peterson. “This creates a single barrel experience for visitors that is an authentic tribute to the spirit of bourbon. Plus, we’ll be the only barrel tasting experience in Kentucky that offers five very different mashbills.” 

The KAD Clubhouse Barrel Tasting Menu includes: 

• Wheated Bourbon (Aged 2 years) 70% Corn/20% Wheat/10% Malted Barley – 110 Proof 

• Four Grain Bourbon (Aged 4 years) 67% Corn/12.5% Rye/12.5% Wheat/8% Malted Barley – 106 Proof 

• High Rye Bourbon (Aged 4 years) 60% Corn/36% Rye/4% Malted Barley – 105 Proof 

• Rye Whiskey (Aged 3 years) 95% Rye/5% Malted Barley – 104 Proof 

• Single Malt (Aged 4 years) 100% Malted Barley 108 Proof 

The KAD Clubhouse will be open Friday and Saturday from 11:00am-5:00pm. Open Sundays from 12:00 to 5:00. Tickets are $30 per person, and visitors can also fill their own bottle straight from their favorite barrel. While reservations are encouraged, walk-ins will be welcomed while space is available. Reservations can be made at the Kentucky Artisan Distillery website. 

Kentucky Artisan Distillery was the first distillery in Kentucky to focus on contract distilling and is one of only a few distilleries that produce bourbon and spirits in true artisan fashion, from the roots to the bottle, all by hand. The operation in Crestwood, KY serves as home to several brands, including Whiskey Row (Avalon Brands), and is one of the stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour.