From the AP article: “Bourbon tourism’s global appeal is creating more business opportunities for producers, Barr said.“There’s so much opportunity in the export market for Kentucky bourbon,” Barr said.Coleman led the crowd in toasting the bourbon sector’s past and future while recognizing Kentucky’s status as the “undisputed home of bourbon.”Bourbon tourism has shaken off any pandemic-era hangover as venerable bourbon producers and industry newcomers alike are benefiting from a new surge in visitors. Attendance surpassed 2.5 million visitors last year along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. Overall, Kentucky’s bourbon industry injects $9 billion into the state’s economy each year, creating more jobs and attracting more tourists than ever before, according to a recent study. More rounds of growth are expected as Kentucky producers make billions of dollars in capital investments. Kentucky distillers produced a record 2.7 million barrels of bourbon in 2022, according to the report, which was commissioned by the distillers’ association.” I hope that the consumer demand for Bourbon stays strong and at least keeps apace with the rapidly growing supply… But hope is not a strategy. It’s time to get creative, and not just furnish the typical premises and the local storytellers who, essentially, spin the same story of how bourbons are made. BTW, I’m not entirely convinced that the overseas markets will soak up the bourbon surplus being produced right now by the new distilling facilities coming online.
Thanks to The Associated Press for spreading the word about the reimagined #KentuckyBourbonTrail! As members of the previous Craft Tour, our team at #AugustaDistillery is thrilled to join 45 other Kentucky distilleries who share our love of bourbon and passion for bringing people together as one reimagined Kentucky Bourbon Trail. “The Kentucky Bourbon Trail now is a global, bucket-list tourism destination,” said Eric Gregory, president of the distillers’ association. Read the full story below: