Local businesses celebrate National Bourbon Day

KENTUCKY – June 14 is National Bourbon Day, and 2 local businesses are celebrating Kentucky’s native spirit in their own unique ways.

“We have a bourbon slushie that we put on the frozen machine. So for us, we like to joke: It’s like every day is bourbon day for us. But if we can get some more people out and enjoy Kentucky’s native spirit and America’s native spirit, then it’s a great day for that,” Michael Killen, co-owner of Preservation Tasting Room says.

Preservation is all about the community aspect of getting together to have a drink.

“I think the environment here is, I would say, essential. There’s a philosophical concept of a third place, right? The place that’s not home, a place that’s not work, a place that you can just come and be yourself. I think for a lot of people, this place has become a part of their life,” Killen says.

In Simpson County, Dueling Grounds Distillery has visitors from as far off as Australia to come by and have a drink.

“It’s great. We’ve been able to bring so many people from all over the world to our location and just little Simpson County to be able to see our small town, eat at our restaurants, stay in our hotels and come here and support us,” Marc Dottore, owner of Dueling Grounds Distillery says.

For Marc, it’s about celebrating something unique to not only the Commonwealth but the United States as well.

“Bourbon can only be made in the United States of America. It can’t be made anywhere else. It is considered by Congress to be America’s native spirit. So for this day, it’s kind of a big deal for us and for our industry and it sort of acknowledges the fact that we are truly American made products,” Dottore says.