Thursday, September 20, 2018

Where Was the Frankfort Distillery?



The Frankfort Distillery, when it was in Frankfort.
It's a trick question.

If you guessed Frankfort, Kentucky, you are only half right. After Prohibition, the Frankfort Distillery relocated to Shively (a suburb of Louisville), but it kept the Frankfort name.

Confusing? Welcome to the world of American whiskey history. The story of the Frankfort Distillery is a perfect metaphor for the complications that arise when you try to understand the origins of America's whiskey industry.

For the whole story, check out the new, September issue (Volume 19, Number 1) of The Bourbon Country Reader, available now.

In this issue, we also look into the distilling history of Kentucky's Henry County, northeast of Louisville, where Angel's Envy has plans to build warehouses and, eventually, a second distillery.

And we review two beautiful books and one beautiful whiskey. (We're all about the beauty.)

The illustration, by the way, is of the pre-Prohibition Frankfort Distillery at Forks of Elkhorn, about three miles east of Frankfort. That site today looks completely different. It hosts a bottling and distribution facility for Beam Suntory.

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NOTE: Turns out, the picture above is not the pre-pro Frankfort Distillery. It is the Kenner Taylor Distillery built after Prohibition at the same site. The photo below is of the real pre-pro Frankfort.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Grew up in Frankfort and often wondered where the old Frankfort distillery was located. An old map of the layout of the distillery places it alongside Elkhorn Creek an area that makes me wonder if it is where Old Granddad now sit? Curious about the distillery located on Benson Creek too.

Chuck Cowdery said...

Yes, same site as the current Beam Suntory facility (i.e., Old Grand-Dad). Benson Creek sounds like Old Judge.

Brian (AKA The Dean) said...

Everything OK, Chuck? No posts in October and just wondering if there is some issue with your health. I hope not.

Chuck Cowdery said...

Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. Just nothing inspiring me right now.

Brian (AKA The Dean) said...

Good to hear.

I'm on a search for some whiskey inspiration, myself.

mozilla said...

Benson creek had a couple distilleries on it...west of Frankfort. Seems like 21 Brands...had a facility there too.