New distillery’s first bourbon tells a unique story, benefits Black distillers
The Un-told Story of Kentucky Whiskey: Chapter 1 is unveiled
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – It’s a story of bourbon, a story of agriculture and a story of the state and now it’s being told in a uniquely Kentucky way and with a unique name that says it all.
The Black Bourbon Guild and Castle and Key Distillers unveiled a special bourbon Saturday that begins the first chapter. It’s the story of the role black distillers have played in the state’s $9 billion bourbon business.
The bourbon is called the Un-told Story of Kentucky Whiskey: Chapter 1. Money from sales will fund scholarships for black students to attend the distilling program at Kentucky State University.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton declared November 13 Black Bourbon Guild Day in the city.
TAKE SOTVO
CG: Rob Beatty/Black Bourbon Guild (18 seconds)
“We’re proud to release this bottle to you today. With this bottle, this is just Chapter 1. This is the foundation of our organization, which is getting African-American history in front of everyone. This goes way back and we’re just getting started,” Rob Beatty of the Black Bourbon Guild, which was founded in 2018, told a crowd that included Gov. Andy Beshear.
Saturday’s unveiling also included remarks from the first Black woman distiller at Brown and Forman, 90-year-old chemist Elmer Lucille Allen.
