Home » Bullitt County: Bourbon, Bernheim and beauty

Bullitt County: Bourbon, Bernheim and beauty

Jim Beam American Stillhouse in Clermont, Ky., has a full interactive distillery tour, tasting room, two-story gift gallery and a new on-site restaurant, Fred’s Smokehouse.

The 225th anniversary of Jim Beam in 2020 kicked off with the rollout of the distillery’s 16th millionth barrel of bourbon at the end of February. Ground was broken on July 25, 2019, for the Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery and is expected to be operational by the end of 2021 at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse in Clermont, Ky.

market review coverA mile and a half down the road, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest has broken ground on a new “Playcosystem,” a 10-acre natural playground to connect children and their families with nature. The Playcosystem is expected to open in the fall of 2020.

Tourism in Bullitt County generated $130.36 million in visitor spending and employed over 1,000 people, according to Kentucky’s latest economic impact report for 2018. Top attractions include Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Kart Kountry, and the six stops on the Bullitt County Wine & Whiskey Trail (Jim Beam American Stillhouse, Four Roses Visitor Experience, Wight-Meyer Winery, Forest Edge Winery, Brooks Hill Winery and MillaNova Winery). Shepherdsville is a trailhead on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Bullitt County tourism office worked closely with attractions on protocols for reopening. “Tourism has been a liaison for city and county leaders to provide open and closed information on restaurants and hotels,” said Troy Beam, executive director of Shepherdsville/Bullitt County Tourism. “We look forward to the day when all of our tourism family not only in Bullitt County but all over the United States are open for business in a safe, confident and profitable manner.”


County seat: Shepherdsville
Curtis Hockenbury, mayor
shepherdsville.net

2019 population: 81,226

Average median age: 40

No. of households: 31,302

Median household income: $65,180

Labor force: 42,664

Bullitt County Chamber of Commerce:

Anita Stump, executive director
bullittchamber.org

Bullitt County Economic Development Authority:
Larry Tucker, executive director
gobullittky.com

Shepherdsville/Bullitt County Tourism:
Troy Beam, executive director
travelbullitt.org

Judge-Executive:  Jerry Summers; bullittcountyky.us

Largest employer: Amazon