Neeley Family Distillery – Craft Tour #9
I feel like I need to apologize for the length of this post from the outset. I have 39 photos and I can’t really find a way to pare it down so this might get kind of long. Why so many? Well, have you every shown up someplace and just been welcomed as if you’re part of the family? From the moment I walked in everybody in the place acted like I belonged and they couldn’t restrain themselves from showing my just one more thing.
I had just visited a number of distilleries and was headed back to Louisville on I71 and as I passed the Kentucky Motor Speedway I realized I was close to the Neeley Family Distillery. It wouldn’t hurt to stop for a look, right?
The sign for the speedway is at the intersection in front of the distillery.
The connection between NASCAR and bourbon was not lost on me. Look at the speedway when you turn left.
There is the standard old car, rusting out in the entrance.
The sign at the entrance gives a nod to the independent nature of the folks within.
I love the cheeky comment about not being a whiskey factory. It already sounds like my kind of folks. They seem to have won a few awards, too.
Back in the days of the moonshiners the stills were quite small. I guess that’s so they could toss them in the cars to escape the law.
I sat down at the bar for a tasting. The menu was very long and, honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to drive away when it was concluded. All I remember is the flavored moonshine would be fantastic on some vanilla ice cream. I really enjoyed the bottle I bought when I opened it at a friend’s house months later.
After paying for my tasting and all my take home bottles I was invited into the back for a very private tour.
In keeping with the theme of not being a whiskey factory you won’t find a column still. Those were invented to increase throughput but the Neeley’s feel it takes away some of the charm and certainly makes it more of a high volume operation. It is a sentiment echoed by Woodford Reserve and a number of Irish whiskey operations.
That image looks kind of familiar.
Something tells me these guys support the Second Amendment, too.
After the impromptu tour concluded I gathered my box and headed to my car in time to see a number of classic cars showing up. I had the distinct impression they all belong to folks affiliated with the distillery.
When leaving I decided to drive towards the speedway to see what could be seen.
Anyway, I loved the place. I need to go back and get another bottle of their single barrel release.
Neeley Family Distillery
4360 HY-1130
Sparta, KY
NeeleyFamilyDistillery.com
The Neeley Family Distillery is in the Northern Region and was my 9th stamp. More importantly, it was my last of the Northern Region so I earned my first challenge coin.
~ Freddy
