New Kentucky bourbon club will have Pappy, Blanton’s, Buffalo Trace at special prices

A bourbon club is opening in Lexington that promises a surprising amount of access to hard-to-get rare bottles.

The Paddock Bourbon Club is a liquor store and tasting room that specializes in Kentucky bourbon and other high-end spirits including champagne and wine, rum, tequila, gin and vodka.

Onwer Erick Ostrander said the store will open at 1011 S. Broadway at the corner of South Broadway and Red Mile Road by the end of this week.

The store will have rare bourbons and special releases in unusual numbers, Ostrander said. Customers can order online and pick up their bottles at the store. They do not deliver orders.

“You don’t have to rush and get it ... Once you buy it, it’s yours and we’ll hold it for you,” Ostrander said. “This is especially great for bourbon hunters, they don’t have to wait in the cold and hope there is enough.”

Ostrander said that the store also will have a tasting room and bar where you can try before you buy a bottle.

Lexington bourbon club an offshoot of UK campus bar, Paddock Bar & Grille

How does Paddock Bourbon Bar have so much rare bourbon, including the hard to find Pappy Van Winkle?

The secret is a link to his other bar, The Paddock Bar & Grille, a college bar at 319 S. Limestone across from the University of Kentucky. While the campus area bar does offer shots of Pappy, they are much more likely to sell shots of Fireball.

“The alcohol industry has become like the airline: The more you order, the more points you have. Paddock Bar on Lime is one of the largest accounts in the state, so we get a large allocation of Van Winkle, Blanton’s, the Elmer T. Lee and Weller,” Ostrander said. “You’ll be able to buy drinks and bottles for less than other places because we’re a liquor store first. A lot of places are charging, in my opinion, too much for things. We want to be more accessible.”

For instance, at least for the opening, the Paddock Bourbon Club will offer Buffalo Trace liters for $26.99, “priced to go,” he said.

“The idea is to sell things people want to drink at a price they can afford,” Ostrander said. “Obviously some of the more elusive stuff will still have higher prices.”

How to join Paddock Bourbon Club for membership, perks

To further that, The Paddock Bourbon Club will offer memberships with different levels of perks. You can sign up on the website paddockbourbonclub.com.

Ostrander said that, for example, members will get pours at up to half price. So how much is a pour of Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old?

“Pappy 23 is the most expensive. Walk off the street price is $300, and a club member would get it for $150,” he said. “So there’s an incentive (to) become a member.”

He said there will be interesting bourbon experiences, such as back door access to Kentucky distilleries.

The top tier of members will get to go on barrel picks at distilleries, Ostrander said. “We picked 33 in 2023 and we’re hoping to pick 60 to 70 in 2024.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 10:00 AM.

Janet Patton

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-5233

Janet Patton covers restaurants, bars, food and bourbon for the Herald-Leader. She is an award-winning business reporter who also has covered agriculture, gambling, horses and hemp. Support my work with a digital subscription