Old Forester To Get Distillery In Downtown Louisville

By Richard Thomas

Rumors that another urban distillery was set to join the completed Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and the planned Michter’s and Angel’s Envy projects were confirmed last week, when the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved $1.3 million in tax incentives for Brown-Forman’s construction of an Old Forester distillery and visitors center.

The new home for Old Forester will be located on the 117 and 119 West Main Street, Louisville, in the midst of the city’s historic Whiskey Row. The project is estimated to cost $30 million, and should create 20 new jobs. The current goal is to have the new facility open by autumn 2016.

Old Forester was introduced in 1870 by George Gavin Brown, the founder of Brown-Forman. The brand is the oldest continuous bourbon on the market today, being one of a small handful of bourbons that continued production during Prohibition for “medicinal” purposes. The current Old Forester line is made at the Brown-Forman plant in Shivley, outside Louisville.