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Log Still Distillery in New Haven, Kentucky, is a new bourbon facility with big plans for the future! It’s already welcoming visitors.
Log Still is one of the newest additions to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour.
And it’s not only new to the Craft Trail: it’s an entirely new operation!
Log Still just began aging their bourbon in July of 2022, so it will be a few years before their on-site bourbon is ready. (But don’t worry, you will get to taste some bourbon on the tour.)
The distillery is located in Gethsemane, Kentucky, not far from Bardstown, which is home to several other favorites on the Bourbon Trail, including Lux Row and Bardstown Bourbon Co. Maker’s Mark is also a short drive away.
The property at Log Still is called Dant Crossing, and its 300 acres are home to quite a few existing (and upcoming) event spaces.
There’s a wedding venue (The Legacy) and several bed and breakfasts. There’s also a stocked lake for fishing, plus a walking path around the lake.
There’s also a large concert venue called The Amp directly behind the distillery, and they hold concerts throughout the year.
We also saw some new construction in progress. Eventually there will be a new visitor center and restaurant (47 and Poplar) on site.
This distillery is also along the railway path for the Kentucky Railroad Museum, and in the future you’ll be able to ride the train to get to the distillery.
Touring Log Still
Visit their site to book a tour online. As of spring 2023, a tour and tasting is $15 per person.
A large part of the tour talked about upcoming plans for the distillery property, making me think I’ll need to come back in a few years to get the full experience.
We did learn about the distillery’s founders, in particular a story about the founder who started distilling with a homemade log still instead of a copper one, until an upgrade became possible. (Thus the name.)
We also walked through the fermenting room to see the cookers, fermenting vats and the large copper still.
Interested in learning more? We recommend the book Bourbon Curious by Fred Minnick for a great introduction to the subject.
We had the chance to taste the fermenting liquid. (I declined this time, since I’d recently tasted it at a different distillery and wasn’t inclined to taste it again soon.)
The Tasting
They currently provide contracted and sourced bourbon for tasting, since theirs isn’t old enough yet.
What’s the difference between contracted and sourced bourbon?
Contracted bourbon is an original recipe sent out to another distiller to make. Sourced bourbon is when they go to a distillery, choose a premade batch, and then proof it themselves.
The tasting included two gin tastings and two bourbon tastings from their Monk’s Road line.
The Monk’s Road name comes from the road near the Gethsemane monastery.
I do wish I’d skipped the gin tastings and started with the bourbon, because I’m not a dry gin fan and I couldn’t get the flavor out of my mouth. Oops.
This was a fun look at an up and coming distillery, and I’d love to come check it out again in a few years when more of the site infrastructure is up and running!
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