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Kentucky Bourbon Distilleries See Record Number of Visitors in 2017

Kevin Willis

Kentucky’s bourbon distilleries continue to gain popularity as a tourist destination.

A statement from the Kentucky Distillers’ Association says nearly 1.2 million people visited the 23 members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Bourbon Trail Craft tour last year.

The number of visitors has grown by 314 percent over the past ten years.

Some of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail members include Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Jim Beam inClermont, and Maker’s Mark in Loretto.

Members of the Bourbon Trail Craft Tour include Corsair in Bowling Green, Limestone Branch in Lebanon, and M.B. Rowland in Pembroke.

The increased attendance figures don’t include those who visited Buffalo Trace and Barton 1792 Distillery, neither of which are members of the Bourbon Trail.

Kentucky currently has 52 distilleries operating within its borders, with 6.8 million barrels of bourbon being aged across the state.

The award-winning news team at WKU Public Radio consists of Dan Modlin, Kevin Willis, Lisa Autry, and Joe Corcoran.
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