'Bourbon Pursuit' podcast team to open new Whiskey Row experience. Here's what to know
A local bourbon producer with ties to the successful "Bourbon Pursuit" podcast will start construction later this month on a new visitor experience on Louisville's iconic Whiskey Row.
Pursuit Spirits, an award-winning independent blender and bottler of bourbon and rye whiskeys, will operate its visitor experience at 722 W. Main St., according to a news release. Kenny Coleman, the brand's chief operating officer and co-founder, said he and Pursuit Spirits co-founder and CEO Ryan Cecil aim to open it in the fall of 2024 before the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and Bourbon & Beyond.
"We can't wait to pull back the curtain and give bourbon lovers a truly insider's experience they won't find anywhere else," Cecil, who also serves as the brand's master blender, said. "We will take guests to the next level of their bourbon journey."
About the Pursuit Spirits visitor experience
Pursuit Spirits was founded in 2018 by Cecil and Coleman, the creators of the popular podcast "Bourbon Pursuit." The brand aims to give customers an uncommon whiskey experience, created for the curious drinker who wants something fun, creative and original that is "completely different than anyone else," Coleman told the Courier Journal.
"I think it's something that's truly unique and truly different because we don't come from money," he said. "It's not coming from generations of lineage of distilling history. It's pure passion at the end of the day of what it takes to be able to do this."
Coleman said the space will be about 8,000 square feet, complemented by a basement and a speakeasy. Akin to Pursuit Spirits' liquor bottles, he described the space's aesthetic as a contemporary modern space with glass walls. With architecture led by Joseph & Joseph Architects, the speakeasy will feature rustic brick walls while a soundproof studio for recording "Bourbon Pursuit" podcast episodes will give visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the brand's roots, according to the news release.
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Pursuit Spirits offers award-winning, small-batch products, including Pursuit United Bourbon and Pursuit United Rye as well as its single barrel product, Pursuit Series. Guests will feel like "bourbon insiders" by picking their favorite barrel and filling their own bottle in the brand new Pursuit United private selection experience, according to the release.
They will use the same tools as a master distiller and bourbon industry professionals use, grabbing a whiskey thief, filling up and capping their bottle before putting a label on it with handwritten information commemorating the experience, Coleman told the Courier Journal.
"We get to give people an insider look of what it's like to do a barrel pick," he said about the project. "We want to be able to bring that opportunity to the greater good and the greater masses out here as well as to provide that sort of very intimate experience but right there on Whiskey Row."
Coleman said the brand is not a traditional bourbon distillery and described its motto as "Let's just get to the good stuff."
"We can really kind of bring a new type of experience that nobody else really can because of the way that we have built our concept and model of not just being a distillery, but being able to blend different types of bourbons together to create our own unique, bespoke profile," he said.
The business' anticipated hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday with its retail space open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the speakeasy and bar open from 10 a.m. to midnight.
An experience with a classroom, speakeasy and recording studio
The Pursuit Spirits' brick-and-mortar space on Whiskey Row will also feature the brand's classroom, where a curated curriculum will be taught in a room holding between 20 to 25 people eager to learn about distilling.
The location's classroom will offer unique educational sessions on maturation techniques and breaking down blends while the shop will host a variety of events, including limited and rare bottle releases and intimate tastings, according to the release.
Coleman couldn't reveal much about Pursuit Spirits' classroom ideas but said the team is considering courses on food pairings, char level taste comparisons, sit-down talks with both himself and Cecil, and more.
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Most people who listen to the "Bourbon Pursuit" podcast aren't what Coleman described as a "Bourbon 101 type of customer." Instead, he suspects customers who visit will be searching for that next level of experience or education when it comes to bourbon distilling.
"What we want to do is provide that so you don't feel like you get the same regurgitated tour or spiel at every single distillery that you go to," Coleman said.
In addition to the Pursuit United private selection experience, the basement will feature a dedicated speakeasy complete with a cocktail bar, tasting area, and more, Coleman said. Limited food options will be available, as the brand has a partnership with Cultured, a cheese and charcuterie bar located at 1007 E. Main St.
"The goal is not to be a full-service kitchen or anything like that, but we do want to provide some level of snacks," Coleman told the Courier Journal. "We want to provide something that's more of an elevated experience."
That elevated experience is part of the reason why the team chose Whiskey Row in the first place.
"For years, we've given recommendations to 'Bourbon Pursuit' listeners about the best places in Louisville, and now we have a destination of our own," Coleman said. "This home on Whiskey Row will introduce more people to the Pursuit Spirits brand and our whiskeys will make new lifelong fans."
Features reporter Leah Hunter can be reached via email at lhunter@gannett.com or on Twitter at @theleahhunter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'Bourbon Pursuit' podcast team to open Whiskey Row bourbon experience
