I attend the CMDK coming-out party.

[DukeB]

I live in Owensboro and was also at the party. To give everyone a little history of the event...it was actually a Rotary Club fundraiser that just happened to introduce the new CMDK Distillery. The fundraiser became a reality after a visit to the KBF in 2008. The friends I took, The Poynters, met Derek Schneider in Bardstown and the rest is history.

The Rotary club is in talks right now about how to make the event bigger and better next year. This year, Moon-Lite did the catering and it was outstanding! The Velvet Bombers playing music until late into the night and it was a mini Bourbon Festival Gala aka Bardstown. Maker's Mark, Four Roses, Woodford Reserve, Bufallo Trace, Jim Beam, and a KDA booth all had tastings before dinner. After dinner, Chris Morris from Woodford gave a talk about the history of prohibition. It was actually my first time meeting Mr Morris and we were glad he made the trip.

I think the event will return in 2010. I have a little video I took on my FLIP camera if anyone is interested.

[cowdery]

One thing Bardstown has never quite figured out, after doing the Bourbon Festival for 20 years, is how to balance a party for the local community with an event that will attract bourbon enthusiasts.

It was a very nice party and everyone I spoke to was nice, but it was really no place for an outsider, especially after the music started.

The whiskey producers, however, really have this thing down, and "bourbon tasting" as a backdrop for community events is becoming increasingly popular. Louisville had one this past Saturday to benefit at-risk old race horses.

Did anyone there actually learn anything about bourbon or become a bigger bourbon enthusiast as a result? I don't know, but I'm glad to see there was at least one person there who knows this site exists.

[DukeB]

Chuck,

Yes, I'm glad this site exists. And I agree, this 1st year event was no place for an outsider. It was more of a home town Rotary Club fundraiser which is the point I was trying to make. Hopefully, the next event will be a little different and more welcoming to outsiders. Any hints or recommendations are truly appreciated.

I wish I knew which guy you were. I would have come over and said hi. I think I met you in September at the Gazebo..but as you can imagine..my memory of that night is fading.

We are looking forward to having many more future events here at the new distillery ( I don't like calling it CMDK!) both indoors and outside. Keep your eyes open for links on this site. If anything develops, I'll be glad to post them here.

On a side note...a professional photographer went through the distillery and took a ton of pictures to document everything before they started making changes and renovations. I even won a framed photograph in the silent auction...it's beautiful!

Duke

["Mash" Bill]

Here is a link to the Professional Photographers portfolio showing pictures of the Medley Distillery before work began.

http://jlondon.zenfolio.com/p118708753/

[cowdery]

Wow! Really nice. Thanks for the link.

[DukeB]

I picked slide #97. It was between that one and #2. It's really a beautiful print matted and framed. Now we just need to fill up the warehouse with bourbon barrels!

[poynter]

They are giving "hard hat" tours by request.

[squire]

This product might be worth waiting for.

[DukeB]

Check out Bourbonblog.com for a guided tour of the plant with Derek Schneider. It's a nice tour and you can see an empty bourbon warehouse (a rare thing to witness).

[Josh]

As a follow-up to speculation in this thread...I just checked out the Wathen's website and they appear to be using the CMDK address.