Casey Jones – Craft Tour #10
One Saturday I looked at at the map and decided it was time to snag the rest of the Western Region of the Craft Bourbon tour. Naturally, I hadn’t planned anything. I just drove out hoping for the best. I was going to be in Louisville for a long time so if things went awry I’d have plenty of chances to make up for it. I have to admit that I resent the online tour scheduling wet blanket that Covid has spread over a really fun time. I really want things to be like they were when I fell in love with visiting distilleries, where I can just show up, buy a tour, or even get one for free with that “Veteran” printed on my driver license.
Anyway, Casey Jones was the farthest one from Louisville.
As a walk in I was able to pay for a tour and tasting. Or vice versa. The tasting came first.
There are some advantages to being on the “Tour”. As a new distillery the marking from the Bourbon tour brings in visitors from not just the rest of the United States, but all over the world. I’d imagine that’s money well spent.
Casey Jones had a few special bottlings. One was distilled on Election Day 2016 and bottled on Election Day 2020. One was from the full eclipse that was visible in Kentucky in August of 2017. I remember standing in the parking lot in Louisville that day!
Casey Jones was a … Stop singing the cadence! We’re not in the Army in 1989! Things were pretty “blue” back then. I can’t believe we actually sang that. Anyway, Casey Jones was a moonshiner. In fact, he was a convicted moonshiner.
He spent a year and then a second stint of two years in the federal penitentiary because he got caught making moonshine. He specialized in stills he could throw in the back of a truck and drive to a new location. They were home made rectangular shaped.
The stories were crazy. Apparently once he was inside one of the stills making repairs when the revenuers showed up. His partners fled but he hid inside whilst the revenuers took axes to his equipment. They didn’t find him on that occasion.
At one point he was commissioned to make a still to put on display by the Kentucky tourism department. As the story goes it was eventually taken from public display and Casey’s family decided to regain possession of it. When his granddaughter started the process she realized her husband was already distilling behind a fake wall in their barn. It was time to go legit.
That still is based on Casey’s original designs.
Everything is done just like Casey did it back in the old hollers. This time it’s legal and I get to stand around taking photos.
The location is set up to hold events like weddings.
The bottling area was in another modern barn area and resembles many of the other small operations I’ve seen. Some of the equipment must be off the shelf.
I love their truck. I bet I’ve worked the plant that manufactured that beauty.
Casey Jones is in the Western Region and was my second stamp in that region.
Casey Jones
2815 Witty Lane
Hopkinsville, KY
CaseyJonesDistillery.com
Casey Jones Distillery is also part of the State Line Whiskey Tour. Wait, what?? The day just got longer. I love being flexible.
~ Feddy
