Purple Toad Winery and Distillery official grand opening

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. –   Purple Toad Winery & Distillery officially celebrated the grand opening of its new Bowling Green location Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by community members, local officials and business leaders.

Company leaders say the new $5 million facility expands Kentucky’s largest reported winery into Bowling Green and will serve as a venue for weddings, birthday parties and other community events.

The owners say they hope the venue will become a gathering place where residents and visitors can socialize while enjoying Kentucky-made products.

“We’ve been told by a lot of people in the hospitality industry that Bowling Green has wonderful attractions during the day, but many places close by 5 or 6 p.m.,” said Steven Dossey, general manager of Purple Toad Winery & Distillery. “All of our products are made in Kentucky by Kentuckians, so it’s a very local experience.”

Dossey said the project also represents an investment in the Bowling Green community.

“Being able to invest here has been important to us,” he said. “Many of the contractors who worked on this project were from Bowling Green, and we’re excited to contribute through jobs, taxes and continued economic growth.”

Owner Allen Dossey said the decision to expand into Bowling Green was driven by both business opportunities and personal ties to the area.

“The main reason is that I have a lot of family here, including my grandchildren,” Dossey said. “Bowling Green is the third-largest city in Kentucky, it’s right on Interstate 65, and it’s about an hour from Nashville and a little over an hour from Louisville. It was the perfect location for us.”

Owners say the expansion had been in the planning stages for several years before construction began.