I attend the CMDK coming-out party.

[smokinjoe]

On the way there, I got to drive across this cool new bridge.

It looks like you actually drove over it, Jetson.

[cowdery]

Who knew? CMDK has a web site.

This overhead view of CMDK is from the web site. The empty space was a warehouse that had to be demolished. The space is still designated Warehouse E, so if they do rebuild it they won't have to redesignate the warehouses.

A little bit more about Derek Schneider, the plant manager. He is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. He spent 10 years on active duty as an Armor/Cavalry Officer and has been 12 years in the reserves as a Civil Affairs officer. He has been to 27 countries including 4 tours in the Middle East (Desert Storm and Iraq). He managed 75 reconstruction projects in Iraq including rebuilding 32 schools, 8 water treatment plants, 2 bridges over the Tigris River and numerous other public buildings. He was also a UN Peacekeeper. He currently teaches at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Knox. He plans to retire from the Army this year to devote full time to making whiskey.

Is he our kind of guy or what?

[OscarV]

On the way there, I got to drive across this cool new bridge.

Where is that bridge?

Does it have a name?

[barturtle]

Where is that bridge?

Does it have a name?

William H Natcher Bridge

more here

[cowdery]

Where is that bridge?

Does it have a name?

It's the William H. Natcher Bridge and it opened in 2002. Go here for everything you could possibly want to know about it.

It is US-231 and crosses the Ohio River a few miles east (upriver) of Owensboro, KY.

[cowdery]

Chuck,

Could it be that the capital is coming from people who know nothing about the mystique regarding bourbon and its production?

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

I would say the owners have an outsider's appreciation. They deliberately bought a distillery with a heritage, in Kentucky, because they know they want their product to be Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. On their web site, they promise to sell no whiskey at less than four years old.

So although they aren't steeped in it, like native Kentuckians would be, they do appreciate it as an outsider would. They have a distiller in Lawrenceburg and they are a distilling company, with distilleries is Scotland and France as well as the Caribbean, so they have access to a lot of expertise. They're also hooking up with the rest of the Kentucky distilling community, through the KDA, so they're not coming on like know-it-alls. Just the opposite. I think they want to do it right, but "right" from a commercially successful business standpoint. They're conscious of the enthusiast community and they want tourism, so they seem to get it.

The key reality of managing expectations is the fact that nothing they make there will see the light of day before 2014 at the earliest. Maybe we will toast with it at the Chicago Olympics in 2016.

[craigthom]

I hope they start giving tours before they start selling whiskey. It will be a lot of fun to see empty warehouses being filled.

The Catholic churches in Owensboro have summer picnics that are burgoo destinations, so I had heard of the influence. I haven't made it over there for one of them, yet, but I plan to this summer.

Mutton barbecue is much better than I expected it to be. My taste in barbecue was formed in Georgia, so my expectations aren't high when I have it elsewhere, and they are usually met. The sauce is still too thick and sweet (I went to Old Hickory Pit, not Moonlite, based on the recommendations of some locals), but the mutton itself was nice.

[cowdery]

Those seem to be the two main places, Moonlight and Hickory Pit.

The place that did the food for the CMDK event had Bar-b-que in its name. They had beef, pork and chicken. When I said, "Where's the mutton?" everybody looked at me like I was crazy. The chicken was great.

I thought about stopping at one of them on my way out of town, but I know to avoid Kentucky Sunday brunch buffets. Something about church gives those folks a powerful hunger.

I'll be back.

[Josh]

Just out of curiosity, what brand names of whiskey does CMDK own and/or plan to release whiskey under once they get going?

[OscarV]

Good question, what labels do they own and/or have you heard if they are going to create a new one?

But it will probably be four to six years before something hits the stores.

[cowdery]

What whiskey brands do they own? None. They intend to create a signature brand when the time comes, but that's five years out at the minimum, so I suspect they haven't thought it through any further than that.

Angostura has shown little interest in brands. They're interested in production facilities. When they acquired Florida Distillers they got the Cruzan Rum brand, which they immediately sold. The brand bounced to a couple of different owners until Beam picked it up.

In the Caribbean, they sell various products under the Angostura name, mostly rums and RTDs based on rums. The Angostura web site seems to be "under construction" right now, but there's a lot at the CL Brands web site. Angostura is a subsidiary of CL Brands, which is itself a subsidiary of CL Financial.

Pay particular attention to their Scottish unit, Burns Stewart. I expect they intend to duplicate that experience with CMDK.

[OscarV]

Will they produce Wathem's?

Or does another company own his name?

[Josh]

Will they produce Wathem's?

Or does another company own his name?

Yeah, I would think Daviess would be a natural choice too.

[cowdery]

Charles Medley owns the Wathen's brand so far as I know. If he sold it when he sold the distillery, that hasn't been mentioned, but I doubt it's the case. It's possible that will be a CMDK product, but it's much too early to tell. As I said, Angostura seems to be interested in bulk, not brands, although their Scottish division does produce brands, but none are household names.

[craigthom]

Do they still own Florida Distillers? Meaning they own that distillery on Seventh Street with the giant bottle of Yellowstone out front?

[cowdery]

They (Angostura) do still own Florida Distilers, but I thought Florida Distillers had unloaded Yellowstone even before Angostura bought them.

[T47]

I have a bottle of Angostura 1824 Rum, though new to me, it seems to be a quality pour. It is smooth with nice flavor and a little bite. I hope they do as well with Bourbon.

[craigthom]

The last time I drove by there the sign was still up, but that doesn't mean ownership hasn't changed.

[cowdery]

The last time I drove by there the sign was still up, but that doesn't mean ownership hasn't changed.

What are you getting at? The sign was put up by the new owners.

[OscarV]

What "new" owners?

The sign says since 1885.

[ThomasH]

I think Craigthorne was refering to the plant on 7th st. in Louisville that has the very weathered concrete looking Yellowstone bottle out front!

Thomas

[cowdery]

I think Craigthorne was refering to the plant on 7th st. in Louisville that has the very weathered concrete looking Yellowstone bottle out front!

Thomas

Oh, right, I get it. Sorry. I don't know the status of that place but I don't believe Angostura owns it, as they don't mention it among their U.S. holdings. Florida Distillers was making "blending spirit" there, but that goes back a few years, well before Florida Distillers was bought by Angostura.

As for the 1885 claim at Owensboro, the earliest distillery on that site was established in 1885, but there is nothing there that is even pre-prohibition, as the pre-prohibition plant was destroyed by fire.

[ThomasH]

When I was to the sampler last April, I drove down 7th. ave on my way through Louisville and it was amazing to see all the buildings that were former distilleries. I would love to go back that way again with someone who knows what is what. Some of the places I know what they are from reading about them, others I don't. I specifically remember seeing the Yellowstone bottle out in front of the Florida distillers plant!

Thomas

[cowdery]

I once had Dominc Roskrow, former editor of WHISKY Magazine, in the car with me. I asked if on his visits to Kentucky anyone had ever given him a tour of 7th Street Road. No one had, so I did. Thirty years ago, when I lived in Kentucky, and more of those distilleries were in operation, the whole area consisted of whiskey distilleries, tobacco warehouses, liquor and tobacco stores, and strip bars. That's not Louisville but Shively. While I was living there, the Shively police chief was caught patronizing a 16-year-old hooker in one of the neighborhood's brothels. It was quite a place. You can still get the flavor of it, but it ain't what it used to be.

[craigthom]

There are still a lot of strip clubs. I've never been in one, so it's possible there' some side business going on.