From Maker's Mark tours to Heaven's Door, here are 4 new things on the bourbon industry

Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal
·6 min read

Kentucky distilleries are constantly coming up with something special and August is no different. This month, Heaven's Door Spirits is launching its newest Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Old Forester is unveiling its new 117 Series: Bottled in Bond, and Maker's Mark and Pursuit Spirits are both offering new tourist experiences for bourbon enthusiasts and history buffs.

Here's what to know about Kentucky's bourbon scene this month:

Heaven's Door announces new Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Heaven's Door Distillery plans to open its distillery in Pleasureville, Kentucky and its brand center in Louisville this fall; HeavensDoor.com

The former Market Street United Methodist Church at 600 E. Market Street is set to become home to a brand center for Heaven's Door Spirits.
The former Market Street United Methodist Church at 600 E. Market Street is set to become home to a brand center for Heaven's Door Spirits.

Heaven's Door, a collection of super-premium American whiskeys inspired by Bob Dylan, announces the addition of "Ascension" Kentucky Straight Bourbon to its core collection of Tennessee Straight Bourbon, Double Barrel Whiskey and Straight Rye Whiskey.

Heaven's Door Ascension is a balanced blend of two Kentucky straight bourbons, featuring the company’s own distillate produced at the Heaven’s Door Distillery at Six Mile Creek. This non-chill filtered bourbon is aged more than five years before being blended in small batches and bottled at 92 proof. Suggested retail price of $54.99.

"Our commitment to crafting award-winning whiskey is evident in every step of our process, from grain selection to distillation to the barrels we use for blending. For this exceptional Kentucky bourbon, we meticulously blend each small batch to create its distinctive flavor profile," Heaven’s Door Master Blender Alex Moore said in a news release. "We are excited to add our own Kentucky bourbon to our permanent collection and invite bourbon lovers to compare and contrast it with our award-winning Tennessee bourbon."

A stairwell at the former Market Street United Methodist Church at 600 E. Market St. in Nulu. The site is the future home of a "brand center" for the Bob Dylan co-founded Heaven's Door whiskey.
A stairwell at the former Market Street United Methodist Church at 600 E. Market St. in Nulu. The site is the future home of a "brand center" for the Bob Dylan co-founded Heaven's Door whiskey.

Heaven's Door is also unveiling new bottle designs featuring the iron metal works of Bob Dylan. Al Vallejo, chief creative officer at Heaven’s Door, said, "Each expression in the Heaven’s Door portfolio features a different one of Dylan’s iron gates in a scale that allows for more of each piece of artwork to be seen in its entirety."

For more information, visit HeavensDoor.com.

Maker's Mark launches new Star Hill Farm Experience

3350 Burks Spring Road, Loretto, Kentucky; makersmark.com

Maker's Mark Distillery has introduced expanded Star Hill Farm Experiences that go beyond the typical distillery tour.
Maker's Mark Distillery has introduced expanded Star Hill Farm Experiences that go beyond the typical distillery tour.

Maker's Mark is offering a series of new experiences for bourbon enthusiasts and history buffs that go beyond the typical distillery tour. The Star Hill Farm Experience is a new series of tours designed to provide guests with a deeper look at the 1,100 acres on which Maker’s Mark Bourbon is crafted, as well as the brand's sustainability, agriculture, and research initiatives.

"We’re proud to offer these new, immersive experiences that not only let visitors explore the natural beauty that Star Hill Farm has to offer but also better understand and appreciate nature’s influence on the whisky in their glass," Rob Samuels, 8th generation whisky maker and grandson of the Maker's Mark founders, said in a news release.

Tours now available include:

  • The Oak Experience: A first-hand introduction to the American oak tree from soil to sip, including a visit to the white oak research forest, a journey and toast to the Mother Oak tree (one of the oldest oaks in Kentucky) and the opportunity for guests to plant their own white oak. Starts at $220

  • The Star Hill Farm Tour: Invites guests on a sensory exploration of Star Hill Farm tailored to the season, including crop harvests, livestock visitation and discovery of ingredients grown on-property for the cocktail and culinary programs. Starts at $60.

  • The Maker’s Mark Art and Design Tour: Take a look at the world-class art and design featured throughout the property, all of which is designed in harmony with and in celebration of its natural surroundings on Star Hill Farm. Starts at $45.

Maker's Mark Distillery has introduced expanded Star Hill Farm Experiences that go beyond the typical distillery tour.
Maker's Mark Distillery has introduced expanded Star Hill Farm Experiences that go beyond the typical distillery tour.

"In the past, our guests have only been able to explore a small piece of our home at Star Hill Farm,” Amanda Humphrey, Star Hill Farm advocacy and experience manager, said in the release. "With these experiences, we’re excited to invite those interested in learning more about Maker’s Mark to see, touch and interact with the wood, wheat and water that are essential to our bourbon. Come forage for ingredients we use in bar and restaurant programs, meet the livestock that enrich our soil and call Star Hill Farm home, and see the environmental research projects we have undertaken first-hand."

For more information about the Star Hill Farm Experiences, visit makersmark.com.

Old Forester Unveils New 117 Series: Bottled in Bond

119 W. Main St.; OldForester.com

Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond is bottled at 100-proof and is available at the retail shop at Old Forester Distilling Co. and in select states for $59.99 in limited quantities and at select Kentucky stores.
Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond is bottled at 100-proof and is available at the retail shop at Old Forester Distilling Co. and in select states for $59.99 in limited quantities and at select Kentucky stores.

Old Forester announced the newest release in its 117 series – Bottled in Bond. It is bottled from barrels filled during a single distillation season. In this instance, the wet and warm late spring of 2014, before it matured in a U.S. bonded warehouse for at least four years and bottled at 50% ABV. (100 proof).

Bottled in Bond marks the latest installment in the 117 Series, a limited-expression lineup that debuted in spring 2021 and focuses on innovation and experimentation.

"The heritage of Old Forester is uniquely tied to the Bottled in Bond movement as George Garvin Brown’s first bottled bourbon really set the stage for quality guarantee decades before the historic law went into effect,” Old Forester Master Taster Melissa Rift said in a news release. "This bonded expression as part of the 117 Series is a fantastic opportunity to look at a very small batch of bonded liquid and how it has developed from that single season to the offering we are launching."

Old Forester 117 Series: Bottled in Bond is bottled at 100-proof and is available at the retail shop at Old Forester Distilling Company and in select states for direct-to-consumer sales for $59.99 in limited quantities, and at select Kentucky stores.

For more information, visit OldForester.com.

Pursuit Spirits opens new visitor center on Whiskey Row

722 W. Main St., pursuitspirits.com

Pursuit Spirits, an award-winning independent blender and bottler of bourbon and rye whiskeys, will start construction on a new visitor experience located at 722 W. Main St. on Louisville's famous Whiskey Row.
Pursuit Spirits, an award-winning independent blender and bottler of bourbon and rye whiskeys, will start construction on a new visitor experience located at 722 W. Main St. on Louisville's famous Whiskey Row.

Pursuit Spirits, an award-winning independent blender and bottler of bourbon and rye whiskeys, will start construction on a new visitor experience on Louisville's famous Whiskey Row that is scheduled to open fall of 2024.

Guests will be able to pick their favorite barrel and fill their own bottle in a brand new Pursuit United Private Selection experience. The classroom will offer unique educational sessions on maturation techniques and breaking down blend and the shop will host a variety of events including limited and rare bottle releases and tastings.

A speakeasy-style basement bar will feature rustic brick walls and a contemporary design and will offer cocktails and a menu of flights and pours from its Pursuit United core whiskey offerings, single barrels from past Pursuit Series releases, special limited edition whiskeys, and charcuterie boards from a partnership with Cultured, 1007 E. Main St. Also a soundproof studio for its popular podcast, Bourbon Pursuit, will give visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the brand's roots.

"We can't wait to pull back the curtain and give bourbon lovers a truly insider's experience they won't find anywhere else," Ryan Cecil, CEO, master blender, and co-founder of Pursuit Spirits, said in a news release. "We will take guests to the next level of their bourbon journey."

For more information, visit pursuitspirits.com.

Reach Features news clerk Gege Reed at greed@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: New bourbon August 2023: Heaven's Door, Old Forester, Maker's Mark