Small batch distillery has party for release of its first straight bourbon

Bluegrass Distillers will release a straight bourbon whiskey on March 3. It’s the first from the tiny distillery in Lexington and will be $50 a bottle.

To celebrate the release, they will have live bluegrass music, free food and signature cocktails at the distillery at 501 West Sixth Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bluegrass Distillers opened in 2013 and started distilling its first batch of the high rye bourbon. Their first release in November 2015 was a traditional rye-influenced bourbon. The small-batch distillery also has released experimental whiskeys, including a malt whiskey and bourbon made with blue corn. The mashbill for this bourbon is 75 percent yellow corn, 15 percent rye and 10 percent malted barley; “straight” bourbon is made from at least 51 percent corn.

They distillery joined the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, an industry trade and lobbying group, in 2014 and were added to the Craft Tour of smaller distilleries last year. Bluegrass Distillers offers tours and tastings Wednesdays through Sundays. You can book tours at bluegrassdistillers.com. Its products are available in Kentucky, Tennessee, Minnesota and Wyoming.

This story was originally published February 22, 2018 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Small batch distillery has party for release of its first straight bourbon."