Pond from the former Henry McKenna Distillery that shut down in Fairfield, Nelson County, Kentucky in 1974.
Ethan Suddeth photo

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on August 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on August 15, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I watched the Henry McKenna Distillery shut down in Fairfield, Kentucky in 1974. Sad day for a small town. The only bar and the only pool hall closed—today they are just grassy lots. The town has sprung back, and McKenna bourbon is made in Bardstown, Kentucky using the original recipe.
Ethan Suddeth photos.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on June 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on June 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on November 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Most people know Bourbon—whiskey made from corn mash, aged in oak barrels and so on. The name was in honor of the French Bourbon dynasty. The name comes from a Gaulish French deity, Borvo, god of hot springs. Borvo meaning froth or foam—as in making the mash for Bourbon whiskey? Coincidence, I suppose, but a great coincidence. Bourbon l’Archambault’s spa in photos.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on June 14, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Today, June 14, 2019 is National Bourbon Day. By my estimate, 80% of the bourbon is produced within 50 miles of Louisville, my hometown. The Urban Bourbon Trail will take you on a bourbon tour of Louisville. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail will take you all over the state. I like to write bourbon into my stories. Celebrate with me, but in extreme moderation and don’t even consider a vehicle.
http://www.nationalbourbonday.com/
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on September 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Haunting: Willie was a distillery worker who was killed by rolling bourbon barrels. Now he haunts Louisville’s Whiskey Row at Oshea’s Irish Pub. (CJ interview of Old Forrester employee)
Another Haunting: General Nelson, a Union Civil War General, was murdered in the original Galt House Hotel by another officer. Flying glass at Doc Crowe’s, a bar, is said to be his fault.
Yet another Haunting: A nun who died in an 1865 Galt House fire haunts the basement of Doc Crowe’s.
Angel’s Share: The evaporation in a whiskey barrel. The older the bourbon, the more the Angel’s Share.
Devil’s Cut: The whiskey present in the barrel’s wood. It can be extracted, but do you want to risk the Devil’s wrath? (also known as the Devils’ Share)
Crow’s Nest: The bourbon barrels stored near the top of racks in the Crow’s Nest. This is said to be the best bourbon. Don’t tell the pirates!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on September 9, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Fairfield, Kentucky was home to the McKenna Distillery. Henry McKenna came from Ireland before the Civil War and started his distillery. Fairfield was also once home to a hotel, opera house (I saw it from the outside), bar, poolhall, & other businesses. The distillery closed down in the 1970’s & all that is left of Fairfield is a post office & grocery. The last time I went through I did not have a camera, but the closed-down distillery was still there.
McKenna bourbon is still available & I recommend it. I believe it is made nearby in Bardstown.
Sip responsibly.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon on June 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »
I remember the Old McKenna Distillery closing in 1974. (I was pretty much a baby) It was located in Fairfield, Nelson County, Kentucky. It was sad to see the town die: within weeks, the poolhall, bar, & other businesses closed.
The older people told me Fairfield once was a stagecoach stop with a hotel, opera house, bank, and so on. Now it is a sleepy village, not sure it still has a post office or businesses.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged bourbon, Louisville, writing on June 25, 2016| Leave a Comment »