AUGUSTA, Ky. (LEX 18) — As Bourbon Heritage Month kicks off, the rest of the world gets to recognize what Kentuckians celebrate every day.
The history of bourbon in the Bluegrass is as rich as the spirit itself.
Centuries of stories to share across so many of the distilleries that make up the bourbon trail.
However, every spot doesn't date back to the 1800's.
More like 2018.
That's when Augusta Distillery was founded.
It opened up an opportunity for master distiller Alex Castle to move closer to home after nine years away from Kentucky.
“I actually grew up not far from here. I grew up in Burlington," Castle said.
"I was just excited about the opportunity to help start up a distillery. It was also awesome because I got to come home. To be able to come back as a distiller and do that and be so close to family, be a part of an amazing team and an amazing community.”
Castle's career in distilling actually started as a teenager.
Her love of chemistry, physics and calculus led her mom to suggest a pretty specific education path.
"My mom suggested I then study chemical engineering when it was time to go to college and I said, that’s great, what in the world do you do with that degree," Castle said.
"She said you can be a brew master and make beer or you can be a master distiller and make bourbon. There was something about it that sounded really cool to my 14-year-old self.”
So Castle's path was set.
She went from school in Lexington to a stint opening a distillery in Memphis, Tennessee before coming back home.
Castle dedicated herself and the distillery to staying true to Kentucky roots when it comes to their bourbon.
Purely single barrel and cask strength spirits fill their shelves.
"For a long time, people were drinking 80 or 85 proof so lower alcohol. People realized they wanted to taste the bourbon like it is when it comes out of the barrel," Castle said
"It’s a journey. Just because you bought this bottle before and you buy it again it doesn’t mean it’s going to identical. It’s a fun experience as a consumer to buy a new barrel and see how it holds up to the last one you had.”
Castle hopes it's a enjoyable journey for anyone who stops by the distillery.
From breaking down flavor notes to letting guests pop open their own barrel at the start of tours, the hope is to drive people into the humble town of Augusta.
A community that has fully bought into its namesake distillery.
It's become more of a partnership as the bourbon makers have prioritized making the town around them a better place to live.
“Our school district, we are really close knit. We pride ourselves on being family and I feel like the Augusta Distillery is very similar," Augusta Independent Schools superintendent Lisa McCane said.
“They contacted me and asked if there was a project or something that they would be able to support in the school district. We were able to completely renovate our school library.”
From the new library to a baseball diamond for the kids, the distillery's efforts have left a big mark on community leaders like Robin Kelsch.
He's not only the principal at Augusta Independent Schools but he was born and raised in Augusta.
It means the world to see this team show how much they care about the only home he's known.
“A large portion of this group, especially at the beginning, isn’t from here. To care about early on, take pride before they even turned a profit. To be invested in the school, care about our well being and, like you said, deliver on the promises. They put things into action very quickly and been a huge partner for us," Kelsch said.
Community is Augusta Distillery's past, present and future.
Castle and her team don't plan to waver on their support for the town, hoping that Bracken County can be a must stop spot along the Bourbon Trail.
"I really do believe in this city and the people in it. To be a part of the distillery and have a platform where we get to highlight and shine this amazing light on such an amazing city. I absolutely love it," Castle said.
"I will sing the praises of this little river town nonstop and hopefully they listen and they fall in love with this town like I did.”
Augusta Distillery is located at 207 Seminary Avenue in Augusta, open Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
If you want to learn more about Augusta Distillery or book a tour, click here.
