Wood, grain, and water, three elements that make eastern Kentucky prime for bourbon

After securing a private investment of $23.1 million, Eastern Light Distilling was able to lock down USDA financing and C-PACE, or Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy funding. Which all means they’ve exceeded their $60 million goal to build their new facility.

Master Distiller and co-founder Caleb Kilburn said that means they’re ready to move into vertical construction.

“And on the other side of that, we’re also perfecting a lot of the process design that going to happen within the facility to allow to not just make world class bourbon, but to be able to do so really dynamically to where we can service a multitude of different clients, each with their own recipe and flavor that they hope that we can help them to create,” said Kilburn.

And those recipes, Kilburn said, are supported by the region they’ve chosen for their home. A big part of that is just down the road from the future site of the distillery, Independent Stave Company.

The factory is huge, filled with giant machines that help workers make the barrels that can be found in all stages of production across the factory floor. Outside in a gravel lot were thousands of stacks of wood slats.

General Manager Mike Knudson said the cooperage was built there due to its proximity to the mill, which processes the white oak logs that are so coveted for barrel making.

“The mill started construction in 2013, and it was specifically located in this area due to the high density of white oak trees in the area,” said Knudson.

And it’s sustainable. Knudson said the trees are naturally replenished after harvesting through the acorns that have dropped.

“If you’ve ever had an oak tree in your yard, the acorns are such a nuisance, almost, when it comes to mowing your grass. It’s the same thing if you’d walk out into the forest. They naturally reseed themselves. That’s the purpose of acorns, is it is new seed that’s coming back up,” said Knudson.

From the forests of Kentucky and some surrounding states, to the mill in Morehead, to the cooperage, where it sits in stacks to season outdoors.

“You gotta get a little bit of time on it. One, we’re trying to get Mother Nature to pull some moisture out of it, kind of for free, because we have to dry all this stuff down. That green stuff coming out of the mills is 50-60 percent moisture and when we make barrels, it’s 10-14,” said Knudson.

Knudson said the other reason is that beverages like wine and some spirits require aged wood to enhance certain flavors, a process that can only happen outside through the seasons of the year.

The next ingredient that Eastern Light will rely on when they start production can be found on farms throughout the region – grain.

Eastern Light co-founder and Master Distiller Caleb Kilburn said they’ll need a million bushels of grain a year once up and running, a need that will benefit local farmers.

“Right now, the harvest that’s going on behind me, most of that grain is going to be trucked more than two hours away and put on a barge. When the distillery is in operation, we’re going to be able to take grain from these farmers, utilize it locally, to save them on freight, to put less diesel fuel emissions out in the world and ultimately, a little better bourbon out there,” said Kilburn.

Though they won’t use the crop, the distillery will also benefit local soybean farmers by helping them keep their trucks full. Owingsville farmer Stephen Bach explained that empty trucks cost money to fuel without making any money back. But, Eastern Light happens to have a need they can fill.

“A lot of the soybeans, they’ll have to go to the Ohio River, whether they’re going to Cincinnati or Louisville. But all the rye and the malt that’s coming to Eastern Light will be coming out of Louisville. So, another way that we’re going to try to be more efficient, we’ll start taking these soybeans to Louisville and backhaul malt and rye. So, we’ll only be unloaded for maybe two miles, when we cross the river coming back,” said Bach.

Local corn, wheat, and soybean farmers all stand to gain some priceless financial security. But they’re not the only ones. Bach says livestock farmers will also benefit – in this case from the spent grains leftover from the distilling process.

“All of that’s going to be put right back into cattle feed, into livestock feed, into tubs. And any time you have that product available, it’s basically purified after it’s come through the still. It’s higher in protein, it’s higher in energy. And it’s that much less waste that you have,” said Bach.

Bach said having that feed available locally will be a huge help to those farmers.

The third ingredient Eastern Light has in abundance in the region is water. The distillery will use nearby Cave Run Lake as its source of H2O. Co-founder and CEO Cordell Lawrence said it’s one of the cleanest water sources in the state.

“So, that makes obviously higher quality bourbon at the end, makes our plant, our distillery itself, run a lot more efficiently and at the end of the day make better product. So, we’re really excited about that and fortunately the Commonwealth was able to secure federal funding for a water treatment facility to make it even more efficient. That water will be used by our facility as well as the neighbors in this community, which we’re proud of,” said Lawrence.

Wood, grain, water. Almost all the resources needed to make bourbon. Lawrence said there is one more factor the region has that prompted Eastern Light to make Rowan County its home.

“So, the number one ingredient without a doubt is the workforce. The dedication, the hard work ethic, the perseverance, ingenuity in this part of the state is not just uncommon for the state or rare, it’s hard to find anywhere in America anymore,” said Lawrence.

Co-founder Caleb Kilburn said he’s looking forward to highlighting the strength and talent of people of the region.

“Especially this being a part of the state that I’m from, that raised me, that educated me, that I had to depart to find my way in the world, and now we get to bring this project back, it’s just different. Now we’re able to showcase the culture, the artisans, the talent, that this region has to offer, through bourbon,” said Kilburn.

Wood, grain, water, and the people of eastern Kentucky who will make it all come together.

Photo Credits – Wooden Barrels: Pixabay, White Oak Logs: University of Kentucky, Corn Harvester: Samantha Morrill, Cave Run Lake Dam: Wikimedia