a home bar that’s just like you:
Kentucky proud
Bourbon is the nectar of the bluegrass.
BUT bourbon isn’t where the buck stops with Kentucky spirits. If your bourbon is the only Kentucky proud spirit sitting on your bar cart, you’re missing out on a world of bluegrass-born spirits that is wide enough to make everything from margaritas to caipirinhas.
We’ve given you a few great options for each category below: vodka, gin, rum, and tequila
- Vodka-
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Wheatley Vodka
Who: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Where: Frankfort, KY
Why: Wheatley Vodka is made by the world-famous Buffalo Trace Distillery under the personal supervision of Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley.
With an abundance of wheat at the bourbon distillery (and an awesome play on words with its namesake), Wheatley Vodka is made from a wheat mash. It is a great vodka at a price that fits any budget; anywhere you are in Kentucky, this is a great safe option to keep the Kentucky spirit alive in your vodka cocktails.
https://www.wheatleyvodka.com/
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pure blue vodka
Who: Barrel House Distillery
Where: Lexington, KY
Why: For a slightly higher ticket, you can get Barrel House Distillery’s 100% corn vodka, Pure Blue.
Made from entirely corn, this vodka will give a sweeter, more buttery taste than Wheatley. Like Wheatley, Pure Blue is made from limestone-rich Kentucky mountain spring water, so from mountains to corn fields, this vodka is true blue (go Cats) Kentucky proud.
https://www.barrelhousedistillery.com/
-3-
BLUE ROOK vodka
Who: Blue Rook Distillery (us)
Where: Danville, KY
Why: Blue Rook Vodka is made from 100% unprocessed Brazilian sugarcane alcohol, giving it a clean and slightly sweet taste.
Unlike most vodkas, Blue Rook Vodka is carefully distilled and filtered to preserve the essence of the sugarcane from which it is made, resulting in a soft, earthy sweetness that pairs well with any type of cocktail.
Five minutes down the road from Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville, Kentucky, this vodka is made to meet the standard of excellence for which Kentucky spirits have come to be known worldwide, without sacrificing its individuality as a truly unique spirit.
If you’re looking for an international flavor that is Kentucky at its heart, look no further!
https://www.bluerookdistillery.com/info
-Gin-
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bowling and burch gin
Who: Limestone Branch Distillery
Where: Lebanon, KY
Why: One of the best parts about living in Kentucky is the incredible landscape that covers it from Pikeville to Paducah. In Lebanon, Limestone Branch Distillery uses their experience in farming to grow 8 of the botanicals used in their gin on site.
Limestone Branch describes their gin as “fragrant with herbal notes of rosemary, thyme, and citrus,” making it a perfect pair for their cocktail pictured here: the Gin-mosa.
Made by Kentuckians with Kentucky botanicals, how could you possibly go wrong?
https://www.limestonebranch.com/
-5-
kentucky wild gin
Who: New Riff Distillery
Where: Newport, KY
Why: Leaving central Kentucky and heading up to the banks of the Ohio River, New Riff distillery walks to the beat of a different drum with its “new riff” on the traditional style of Kentucky distilleries.
Their Kentucky Wild Gin is copper pot distilled, using a mix of European botanicals along with locally sourced spices.
If you’re looking to try a fresh take on the more traditional Kentucky gin, toss this New Riff gin into your gin and tonic and see if newer truly is better.
https://www.newriffdistilling.com/
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roots of ruin gin
Who: Castle and Key
Where: Frankfort, KY
Why: Making the trip back down to our state’s capital city of Frankfort, Castle and Key introduces their Roots of Ruin gin.
Made from mostly rye, this is the brightest gin of our guide and leaves a sweet and creamy finish with a slight hint of spice.
Its namesake a reference to the Old Taylor Distillery that shut down the stills in 1972, the castle-like structure sat abandoned until owners Cecil Withrow and Robert Sims revived it under the name Castle and Key.
With its “roots of ruin” this gin has a historical significance with Kentucky that makes it worth a taste.
https://www.castleandkey.com/
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Blue Rook gin
Who: Blue Rook Distillery (it’s us again!)
Where: Danville, KY
Why: A short 45-minute drive from Frankfort, we distill our small-batch gin in-house in our copper pot still.
Our gin is juniper-forward, with vapor-infused botanicals like sweet orange, lemon peel, hints of spice, and açai that compliment the Brazilian cane foundation.
If you’re looking to try a fresh take on the more traditional Kentucky gin, toss Blue Rook Gin into your cocktail and see if your new favorite martini comes from the unlikely home of Danville, KY.
https://www.bluerookdistillery.com/info
-rum-
-8-
blue rook cachaca
Who: Blue Rook Distillery (last time, I promise)
Where: Danville, KY
Why: Our first Kentucky rum unlike the others: 100% Kentuckian and 100% Brazilian.
Located a short 3,800-mile drive from Novo Fiborgo, Brazil, the Baeker family of Danville, KY opened Blue Rook Distillery to connect its family ties with Brazil to the rich distilling culture of Kentucky.
Our cachaca (ka-sha-sa) is made from 100% authentic Brazilian sugarcane which leaves a clean and sweet nose, making it perfect as a base for any classic rum cocktail, or the most famous cocktail in the largest South American country: the refreshing caipirinha.
https://www.bluerookdistillery.com/info (you are also already here)
-9-
hartfield and co. aged rum
Who: Hartfield and Company Distillery
Where: Paris, KY
Why: An aged rum made by a bourbon distillery, in Bourbon County, KY, is there any surprise that this rum is aged in bourbon barrels?
This aged rum from Hartfield and Co. in Paris starts out as a fruity and floral white rum, after which it spends 10 months inside of a used bourbon barrel, where it gets its familiar red color.
If you’re timid about leaving the bourbon barrel and trying other Kentucky spirits, this is a great stepping stone to start with.
https://www.hartfieldandcompany.com/
tequila
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nulu reposado
Who: Prohibition Craft Spirits
Where: Louisville, KY
Why: As we reach our final category of essential spirits for your home bar made right here in Kentucky, we head to the eastern part of Downtown Louisville, dubbed “New Louisville” or “Nulu” for short.
“Reposado”, meaning “rested” in Spanish, is a term for tequila that has been aged (typically less than a year) in oak barrels. Luckily, as a bourbon distillery, Prohibition Craft Spirits has many such barrels on hand.
After importing their agave spirit from Jalisco, PCS “rests” their tequila in oak barrels, which bring out the best of both the Mexican agave and the familiar Kentucky oak.
https://www.prohibitioncraftspirits.com/
Whiskey
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Well… you know…
Bourbon is all over Kentucky.
I feel like if I even tried to give a recommendation here, Bourbon-heads across the country would chime in.
There are companies that will take you across the entire state trying bourbons from many of our 120 counties, and if you want more info, visit https://www.kybourbontrail.com/ who even has a tool that will let you plan a vacation surrounding the spirit.
Don’t let bourbon be the extent of your Kentucky spirit(s).
be kentucky proud and try all the bluegrass has to offer.
The best thing about Kentucky (in my opinion) is how proud us Kentuckians are of being just that: Kentuckians. One of the strongest and most helpful way that we show our pride is by shopping locally; from our meat to our veggies, and from our automobiles to our liquor cabinets. Show your Kentucky pride by being the only one you know that has an entire home bar lined with entirely Kentucky Proud spirits, and show your friends that doesn’t mean your home bar looks like your uncle’s bourbon collection.