Pursuit Spirits launches immersive distillery tours in Clifton. Take a look inside
Before Pursuit Spirits joins the many options for tastings and tours on Whiskey Row, the local bourbon company is opening the doors to its distillery in the Clifton neighborhood.
Pursuit Spirits, founded by Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil of the popular "Bourbon Pursuit" podcast, has quietly been operating inside a nondescript warehouse near the intersection of Mellwood and Frankfort avenues.
On Dec. 9, the Pursuit team will open the space to the public by offering two types of tours, designed to be different from any other distillery visit.
“It’s something nobody in the city of Louisville is doing yet,” Coleman said during a media preview of the space on Thursday. “We’re really excited to be able to offer that.”
Read on for more details about what Pursuit Spirits has in store.
What tours are offered at Pursuit Spirits Distillery?
Pursuit is rolling out two experiences for patrons to get a behind-the-scenes look inside the bourbon world.
One option, called "The Whole Shebang: Tasting + Barrel Pick + Fill Your Own Bottle,” is a 90-minute “VIP adventure. The cost of $139.99 includes walking away with a bottle of bourbon.
Along with tasting Pursuit's whiskeys, patrons will learn about mashbills, blending, maturation, and the story of Pursuit, with help from expert guides. They will then be led through a tasting of eight samples from Pursuit’s private barrel selection. The tour provides about 30 minutes to take notes, smell, sip and spit before choosing a favorite blend. Guests will be armed with a whiskey thief to open the associated barrel and fill up a bottle, to be labeled, personalized and taken home.
“This is a rare chance to check off a bucket list item by taking part in the barrel-picking process that is typically reserved for only the whiskey elite,” reads a description of the tour. “Instead of pulling a lever and watching your bottle fill from a tube, guests will fill their own private select whiskey using a whiskey thief straight from the barrel.”
The second experience, dubbed "Pursuit United Breakdown,” is focused on Pursuit's limited small-batch bourbon. The 45-minute tour, which costs $35, allows guests to “taste the individual distillates that makeup Pursuit United at cask strength, learning the unique profiles and stories behind each component,” states the description. “The experience culminates in sampling the iconic Pursuit United Bourbon and Toasted Oak Collection Bourbon to realize how the sum is greater than the parts.”
“Once you go to one tour, they’re all going to be kind of similar,” Cecil, who also serves as the brand's master blender, told the Courier Journal. “You’re going to taste stuff that’s already been packaged up and is available on the shelves. What consumers here will be able to do is go through the process like we do.”
“We loved doing what we do on an everyday basis,” he added. “We wanted to recreate that for the common consumer.”
Where and when are the tours at Pursuit Spirits Distillery?
The “Pursuit Spirits Distillery Experiences” are available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with limited tickets available per session. About 10-20 guests will be admitted.
The distillery is located at 1700 Mellwood Ave. in the Clifton neighborhood, across the street from Big Al’s Beeritaville. Some parking is available outside the warehouse.
Reservations are required and can be booked online at pursuitspirits.com.
What's next for Pursuit Spirits?
The Mellwood Avenue warehouse, which is undergoing some renovations, including an update to the floors, will serve as Pursuit’s headquarters, where blending, bottling and back-end operations happen. It’s currently also where the “Bourbon Pursuit” podcast is recorded.
Meanwhile, Pursuit Spirits is moving forward with work on its new visitor experience at 722 W. Main St. The 8,000-square-foot space is set to include a classroom, downstairs speakeasy, and recording studio, the Courier Journal previously reported.
Coleman said the Main Street place should be open by September 2024. At that point, he said they will likely continue to host events and tours at both locations.
Launching these distillery experiences is just another step in a years-long process, said Cecil.
“It’s really cool to see this all come together,” he said. “We were just podcasters in my basement with a crappy MacBook. To see that we started there and now we're here is mind-blowing to us. It’s something you could never dream of.”
Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Pursuit Spirits opens Clifton distillery with immersive tours, tastings
