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Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tourism Takes a Dive in Pandemic
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Attendance Takes a Nosedive During Pandemic
Attendance at Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries took a major dive last year thanks to the pandemic, decreasing by 66 percent. After 21 years of continued growth, the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA) announced this week that 587,307 people visited distilleries in the Bluegrass. That compares to the record 1,719,821 visitors in 2019.
“Last year was devastating for tourism and experts are skeptical on consumer confidence until 2022 at the soonest,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “Also, many of the main Bourbon tourism drivers – sports, concerts, fairs and festivals, conferences and other events – were canceled last year and probably won’t fully return anytime soon.”
Most distillery visitor experiences were closed from March until June. Some have reopened with reduced tours and appropriate safety protocols. Not all distilleries in the state participate in the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail designation. This requires participation in the marketing consortium sponsored by the KDA.
KDA Lobbies to Update Bourbon Tourism Laws in Kentucky
In an attempt to help the bourbon tourism industry recover, the Kentucky Distillers Association says it is pushing three different bills currently before the Kentucky Legislature.
- HB 415 – This updates a bill passed last year letting distilleries send spirits directly to the consumer. It also streamlines the tax collection process.
- SB 67 – This would make “take home cocktails” a permanent option for restaurants. This temporary measure was enacted during the pandemic to help struggling restaurants.
- SB 108 – This would let restaurants and hotels which have by-the-drink alcohol licenses sell private barrel selection bottles to consumers.
“These are important measures that will give our distilleries a much-needed boost, which in turn will benefit local communities and their hotel, restaurant and hospitality industries,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “We need to get back on a path to recovery and our Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries will play a big part in that movement.”
Bourbon Women Celebrating Toast to the Tenth Anniversary
The Bourbon Women Association is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a two-night online event. It will feature behind-the-scenes tours and presentations from more than 10 distilleries and a live stream of The Fred Minnick Show.
- Thursday, February 25th from 6:00p.m. – 9:30pm (EST)
- Friday, February 26th 6:00 p.m. – 9:30pm (EST)
Tickets are $10 and are good for both nights. Tickets are available here.
