Scene of distillery fire: What burned, what remains at historic Old Crow site
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- A fire destroyed three buildings, including two historic brick rickhouses.
- Glenns Creek Distilling reopened because none of its operation was impacted.
- Meier said no one was injured and no barrels or materials were stored inside.
After a dramatic fire at the historic site of the Old Crow distillery in Kentucky, the operator of a new whiskey venture on site has resumed operations and said he feels “very blessed.”
Glenns Creek Distilling owner David Meier posted online that he sees a “silver lining” in the near-disaster, which struck about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
“In the case of the fire, no one was injured so that is good news. We did not have any barrels or any material stored in the buildings. The buildings were a bit of a hazard and were in danger of collapse and someone could have been hurt,” Meier said. “I want to extend a thank you to all of the emergency responders who came out and handled the situation. I will get a list of all the companies who came out so I can send them my thanks.
“We are open for business and visitors because none of our operation was impacted. Thank you to all of our wonderful visitors and friends who sent their well wishes and prayers. We are very blessed to have so many wonderful people who care about us.”
Meier did not immediately respond to a request for comment. After the fire, power was out to the facility and surrounding area.
The dramatic fire destroyed three buildings, include two historic brick rickhouses. The site had been built in the late 1800s as the Old Crow Distillery, which stopped producing whiskey in 1987 after it was acquired by Jim Beam. Much of the plant was derelict when Meier acquired the property on the Woodford and Franklin County line in 2014 and established Glenns Creek Distilling.
This story was originally published October 2, 2026 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Scene of distillery fire: What burned, what remains at historic Old Crow site."
