Louisville Distilleries

[craigthom]

I know they don't give tours, but I live here now, and I don't know where Early Times is.

The Brown Forman offices are easy enough to find, what with the giant bottle of booze, but I drove all the way around it and didn't see any warehouses. Where do they age the bourbon?

Across the street is the Heaven Hill distillery, which is also easy enough to find. There are some brick warehouses east of there. Do they use those in addition to the ones south of Bardstown?

I found Stitzel-Weller, which wasn't quite so easy.

Where is Early Times? Is it in the same area? Is that where Brown Forman does its OF aging?

There's a building to the east of downtown with Distillery in its name. Who was there?

(Yes, I read the article about the 2000 tour of Early Times, but it doesn't give specific directions.)

Thanks!

[bobbyc]

There's a building to the east of downtown with Distillery in its name. Who was there?

Distillery Commons was National (Old Granddad, 'Taylor, 'Crow, Bourbon DeLuxe)

[cowdery]

Distillery Commons is worth at least a drive-by because it still looks like a distillery, in that many of the warehouses are still standing and still look like warehouses.

The Brown-Forman Distillery, formerly Early Times, is on Dixie Highway, a couple miles south of the HQ. They have the distillery there and several masonry warehouses. I'm sorry I don't know the address. The plant is not visible from the road. There is a sign that is visible. I usually find it by driving along Dixie Highway and watching for the sign. It is on the east side of the street. If you get to the Watterson you've gone too far.

At the sign, you can turn down the side street and drive as far as the guard shed for a good view of warehouses (ahead and to the left) and distillery (to the right).

It's not far from Stitzel-Weller.

The warehouses down by Heaven Hill/Bernheim are Heaven Hill's, but they don't use them for whiskey. Parker and Craig don't like them. They use them to age Christian Brothers Brandy, which is distilled in California but brought to Kentucky to age.

The Brown-Forman headquarters facility consists of offices, labs, bottling, and the finished goods warehouse. Southern Comfort is mixed up there although the ingredients are all made elsewhere.

[craigthom]

Well, that answers all the questions. Thanks!

I'll drive down Dixie Highway and look for the sign for Early Times.

I couldn't remember where I was driving when I went by Distillery Commons, but it must have been Lexington. When I'm coming into town from the east or northeast, especially after three in the afternoon, I tend to take surface streets, just wandering around, mostly to avoid the parking lot where 71 and 64 hit 65.

My brother is coming to town, and I want to give him a full distillery tour. I know that Four Roses finished for the summer this week, it doesn't appear that anyone else has. We my skip the Woodford tour, but I'll drive by, because I want to show him Old Crow and Old Taylor.

[cowdery]

The sign won't say Early Times. They changed the name a few years ago. It's the Brown-Forman Distillery. The bright ET logo was easier to spot, but it's still a pretty big sign.

Distillery Commons is over by Cave Hill Cemetery. Yes, heading east from downtown on surface roads, you probably passed it.

[bourbonv]

Distillery Commons is at the corner of Lexington and Payne. The Brown-Forman Distillery is on the east side of Dixie between Millers Lane and Ralph Avenue, just north of the Railroad tracks crossing Dixie by about 3/4 of a mile.

At the railroad tracks you will see the brick warehouses of the old Four Roses Distillery. Stitzel-Weller is just west of Dixie between Ralph and Millers. The old Glencoe distillery is at the corner of Cane Run and Millers Lane. What is left of the original Bernheim distillery is at on Bernheim lane where the railroad crosses the road. Behind Bernheim is the old Hill and Hill distillery that is now an indutrial alcohol distillery. You can see the back of the Hill and Hill distillery while driving down Wathen. Just behind Bernhiem and Hill and Hill toward Seventh Street is the old Seagrams distillery and headquaters. Drive on down Seventh and you can see what remains of the Old Yellowstone distillery. It is now Florida Distillers and the make citrus based distillate for flavoring other products.

Mike Veach

[craigthom]

Thanks, and sorry for the late reply. I visited a company in what I assume are the old offices of the Yellowstone distillery (they make flavorings). There's a giant old concrete bottle out front, which I couldn't make out as I drove past, since the paint is mostly gone, but now I'm sure it was a Yellowstone one with the diagonal across it. There's a solitary abandoned metal warehouse just south of it.

I saw those warehouses behind Florida Distillers, just on the other side of the railroad tracks, and wondered what they were, and whether I was looking at the back side of Early Times or not.

I drove up to the gate of Early Times and had a heck of a time turning around the car.

[cowdery]

A lot of the old buildings in that area are old tobacco barns.

[bourbonv]

Those are actually the backside of the old Four Roses warehouses. Early Times is slightly north of Yellowstone and they do back up to the tobacco warehouses Chuck is talking about. The tobacco warehouses are now a flea market.

Nike Veach

[mulbish]

I took my mother-in-law for a doctors visit over by there on Bluegrass. I dropped her off and figured I'd go find a post office as I had some stuff to mail. I went on out Bluegrass (west) and then north on Manslick (which turned into 7th) I saw that concrete bottle with Florida Distillers on it. But I saw scads of run down titty flops and boarded up projects, also. I decided I didn't need to mail that stuff right that second, anyway. I turned around and waited at the hospital. It's rather scary back up around that place.:eek:

But I remember wondering why would a distillery in Kentucky be called Florida Distillers?!:shocked:

[craigthom]

OK, I was playing with google maps, because what else am I supposed to do now, go to bed?

Here is a google maps image.

It is my undertanding from the messages here that the black-roofed buildings in the upper left are the old Four Roses warehouses. Across the tracks to the right is Florida Distillers, which used to be where Yellowstone was made. Near the bottle is an old warehouse that is right on Seventh Street Road. The little "V" near the map marker is the sign and the giant bottle of Yellowstone bourbon (which is just barely legible and needs paint).

This is just northeast of there.

The long buildings on the right are the tobacco warehouses that are now some sort of antique mall or flea market. Are the buildings across the tracks to the left Early Times warehouses?

I can't explain why I care so much about locating and identifying these sites. I just do.

[barturtle]

I believe, Mike correct me if I'm wrong, but this is at about 22nd street right on the river and I think it's Park and Tilford. To get to the backside you can use the RiverWalk, a wonderful Bike/Hike trail along the water.