DANVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 10, 2013) – Wilderness Trace Distillery opens this week as Danville’s first distillery and the newest member of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.
Wilderness Trace also is joining the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour as the eighth stop on the new attraction that showcases the state’s growing micro-distilling industry.
KDA and member distillery executives and Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer will help inaugurate Wilderness Trace at a special grand opening Friday. Tours will begin Saturday starting at 10 a.m. with food and door prizes available.
“Wilderness Trace and its parent company, Ferm Solutions, have more than 10 years’ experience in fermentation and distillation techniques, making them a welcome addition to our organization,” said Rick Robinson, chairman of the KDA board of directors and plant manager at Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg. “This new distillery is a natural extension of their core business and will allow them to showcase their expertise and knowledge.”
Ferm Solutions is a long-time provider of advanced ethanol producing yeast strains and a leader in molecular and genetic engineering technologies. The company also is developing genetically modified yeast strains for improved fermentation.
The company has invested more than $2 million over the past two years and employs 13 people.
Owners Pat Heist and Shane Baker said tours will highlight the science behind the fermentation process and educate visitors on the art and craft of distilling. Brands will include Wilderness Trace Bourbon, Settlers Select Danville’s Rye Whiskey, Blue Heron Vodka and Harvest Rum.
“All of our ingredients will come from the commonwealth,” Baker said. “From hand-selected seed to pure limestone filtered water, our spirits will have traveled less than three miles when they leave the distillery. It doesn’t get more local than that.”
Adam Johnson, director of the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour, said Wilderness Trace will add a unique perspective to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour with its focus on the science behind distillation.
“Every distillery is different, which is what makes the Kentucky Bourbon Trail experience so popular,” said Johnson, a Centre College graduate and Danville resident. “This will be a perfect match to Danville’s distinct tourism offerings.”
The KDA created the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour in 2012. Participating distilleries include Barrel House, Corsair Artisan, Limestone Branch, MB Roland, Old Pogue, Silver Trail and Willett. Go to http://kybourbontrail.com/craft-tour/ for more information.
“Craft distilleries are an important and growing part of the state’s distilling industry and local communities,” said KDA President Eric Gregory. “We now have distilleries of all sizes in almost every corner of the commonwealth, and each has a significant economic and tourism impact.”
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