Justin’s House Of Bourbon Raided By Kentucky Liquor Authorities

By Richard Thomas

For those of us who live in the Bluegrass and regularly make the trip between Lexington and Louisville, the billboards telling travelers to stop in at either the Lexington or Louisville location of Justins’ House of Bourbon is a familiar sight. Billed as Kentucky’s premier bourbon shop, these stores have become a fixture for bourbon diehards visiting the area; the Lexington store is especially well known to me, being about a mile down the road from my house.

So, when the news broke last week that Justin’s House of Bourbon was under investigation by the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control  (KY ABC), it raised eyebrows. On Tuesday, state investigators arrived to inspect both the Lexington and Louisville locations. They reportedly took away with them “numerous” bottles of liquor and other undisclosed items.

According to the KY ABC, the action was in response to “complaints alleging several violations associated with Justins’ House of Bourbon for the improper acquisition, possession, transport, and sale of bourbon, including Vintage Distilled Spirits.” The state has yet to release any documentation detailing the allegations. The license held by Justin’s House of Bourbon remains active, but in the wake of the inspections both outlets closed temporarily. The Lexington store reopened on Saturday, as scheduled.

Justin’s House of Bourbon is co-owned by namesakes Justin Thompson and Justin Sloan, and Philip Greer. Greer is a well-known Lexington area commercial developer, while Thompson is co-owner of Belle’s Cocktail House and a co-publisher of the magazine The Bourbon Review. Justin Sloan is also a co-publisher at The Bourbon Review, and co-founder of Bottle Blue Book.

The House of Bourbon opened in 2018, following the a 2017 change in state law allowing for the trade in “vintage spirits.” This meant owners of collectable bottles of spirits could sell these to a licensed retailer, who could then sell them on. Prior to January 2018, this chain of transaction was illegal on the collector-to-retailer end. This is the first enforcement action undertaken by Kentucky authorities in the realm of vintage and collectable liquor, and Justin’s House of  Bourbon is a keystone dealer in that market. The news has rippled through the American Whiskey collector’s community; as a Lexington resident and whiskey author, I’ve been getting texts and emails regarding the news for days now.