New to the OU: Spirit of Kentucky Rises Again! Boone County Distilling Company Responsible
Boone County (Kentucky) Distilling Company has successfully revived a distillery region in Northern Kentucky that dates back to the 1800s. For over 100 years, bourbon production had ceased in Boone County. The dry spell is over. Today, the number of bourbon barrels in Kentucky is greater than the number of people in the Bluegrass State!
The brand harkens back to 1833, in the Northern Hills of Kentucky where the original Boone County Distillery (aka: The Petersburg Distillery) operated on the banks of the mighty hio River. It was there that brothers William and John Snyder acquired a flour and grist mill. By 1836, they realized that it would be much more profitable to convert the starches in the grain to alcohol. The distillery changed ownership several times and was eventually sold in 1874 to Julius Frieburg and Levi J. Workum, two Jewish brothers-in-law from Cincinnati.
By 1880, Frieburg and Workum were making more whiskey than anyone in Kentucky, almost one million gallons per year, which was as much as the nine distilleries combined in famed Bourbon County, KY. The distillery went on to become the third largest in the United States, and a major production site – bustling with river trade just downriver from Cincinnati.
The late 19th century witnessed a rapid expansion of the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati whiskey industry. At the time, Frieburg and Workum were said to be the biggest fish in a very large pond. These bold pioneers continue to serve as the inspiration for our brand and facility.
The distillery was eventually purchased and shut down in the early 1900’s, before Prohibition. Boone County bourbon production remained dormant until 2013, when three individuals – a coal man, an entrepreneur, and a local sheriff founded the Boone County Distilling Company.
Going Kosher
When the company decided to seek OU Kosher certification, they had three essential goals in mind – to meet the dietary needs of its customers, honor the inspiration for its brand (historically rooted in Jewish ownership) and to engender the public’s confidence that, by holding to OU Kosher’s high standards, it is employing the most sanitary production processes and ingredients.
The Boone County Distillery is a proud member of the Kentucky Craft Bourbon Trail, producing exceptional Bourbon and Rye Whiskey, which is stored in 53-gallon charred new American Oak barrels. New-fill barrels are moved to their resting place, an onsite 3,300 square foot rick house that houses over 800 barrels of Bourbon and Rye Whiskey.
The whiskey is produced in a 5,000 square feet production facility, designed by World Renowned Master Distiller, Larry Ebersold. Its centerpiece is a 500 Gallon Copper Pot Still, affectionately named “The Bear,” crafted by Vendome Brass and Copperworks of Louisville, Kentucky. The company also features a 1,500 square feet Tasting Room and Napa Valley Style Gift Shop, which provides tours organized by Ms. Peggy Noe Stevens of Louisville, KY.
Boone County Distillery currently offers three OU Kosher certified products with more in the developmental stage.
- Eighteen33 is our flagship, a 10-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Bourbon Cream, a blend of rich alabaster cream produced in upstate New York, combined with our 10-Year-Old straight bourbon whiskey.
- Tanner’s Curse, a whiskey distilled from bourbon mash.
Future offerings will include an 11 and 12-year-old single barrel / barrel strength straight bourbon whiskey and a gin, produced and distilled with juniper berries, elder berries, cinnamon, coriander seeds, and grapefruit peels. The Boone County Distillery intends to keep Kentucky’s superior spirit alive, and kicking.
