Kentucky Bourbon Festival Events, 2020 Virtual Lineup
Every year, for the last 28 years, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival has taken place in the beautiful city of Bardstown, Kentucky. This year, we celebrate the festival from October 15-18th virtually. Bourbon fans can comfortably watch a wide range of content from the comfort of their living room couch. Various events and programs have been put into place, so there is certainly something for everyone!
SEE ALSO: 2022 Kentucky Bourbon Festival Returns to Bardstown, KY in September
The event will include 20 videos focusing on subjects of the distilling industry, cocktail classes, bourbon education and history, never before told stories, and much more!
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Register for 2020 Kentucky Bourbon Festival Events:
>> Registering is easy, and can be done HERE.
Kentucky Bourbon Festival Event Schedule:
Thursday | October 15th
SUPERMARKET COCKTAILS – 7:00PM – 7:38PM
Maker’s Mark‘s very own Thomas Bolton uses supermarket ingredients to make cocktails and teachers viewers how to make the following: Gold Rush, the Old Fashioned and a Bourbon Fruit Punch.
>> 6 Pumpkin Bourbon Cocktails You Didn’t Know You Needed this Fall 👇🏼👇🏼
BOURBON & KENTUCKY CUISINE: 7:45pm – 8:30pm EST
Stu Plush, executive chef at The Kitchen & Bar at Bardstown Bourbon Company makes bourbon inspired dishes including pan-seared salmon with corn puree and fava beans served with crispy roasted Brussel’s sprouts and bacon.
From the Shadows to the Spotlight: Barton 1792 Distillery and Four Roses Bourbon: 8:30pm – 9:00pm EST
Josh Hollifield, and Four Roses master distiller, Brent Elliott, share the stories behind these brands’ history-making rebounds.
The Rebirth of Bourbon: Building a Tourism Economy In Small Town USA: 9:15pm – 9:45pm EST
Jeff Crowe, director of Kentucky visitor experiences at Heaven Hill Distillery, and Dan Callaway, tourism experience manager at Bardstown Bourbon Co., discuss the future plans for Bardstown KY and bourbon.
Friday | October 16th:
Why Bottled-In-Bond? 6:00pm – 6:30pm EST
Learn how this storied legislation created the strictest spirits standard in the world and created a whole new category in American whiskey. Bernie Lubbers, global whiskey ambassador at Heaven Hill, and Beau Beckman, Single Barrel Select program manager at Buffalo Trace, explain why “BIBs’ are special.
>> Pappy Van Winkle 2020 Bourbon Release 👇🏼👇🏼
Bottled-In-Bond “Happy Hour”: 6:30pm – 7:00pm EST
Wilderness Trail Distillery founders Pat Heist and Shane Baker wouldn’t release any whiskey until their rye bourbon, wheated bourbon and rye could be sold as 4-year-old Bottled-In-Bond. Listen in as they share their engaging story and passion for the highest quality standard in bourbon.
The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 1, Fermentation: 7:15pm – 7:45pm EST
Every step in the art of whiskey is important. Master distillers Danny Kahn (Barton 1792 Distillery) and Steve Nally (Bardstown Bourbon Company) describe the interaction between grain sugars and yeast create the complex and unmistakable flavors and aromas bourbon fans love.
Cocktail Quickie! 7:45pm-8:15pm EST
This session features Bardstown Bourbon Co. national brand ambassador, Samantha Montgomery, demonstrating classic and modern versions of the Boulevardier.
The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 2: Distilling: 8:00pm – 8:30pm EST
Learn from master distillers Denny Potter (Maker’s Mark Distillery) and Conor O’Driscoll (Heaven Hill Distillery) how fermented grain mash is converted into whiskey via distillation.
The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 3, Aging: 8:30pm – 9:00pm EST
The influence on whiskey created by the barrels in which it’s aged is complex and very interesting. Andrew Wiehebrink (director of spirit innovation and research at Independent Stave Company) and Mike Sonne (process engineer and master taster at Heaven Hill Distillery discuss the importance of the aging process.
Growing Up in a Whiskey Distilling Family: 9:00pm – 9:50pm EST
Angel’s Envy chief innovation officer, Wes Henderson, production manager and son, Kyle Henderson; Bill Samuels, Jr., chairman emeritus, and son and chief distillery officer, Rob Samuels, from Maker’s Mark Distillery share funny and touching stories of growing up in a Whiskey Distilling Family.
Saturday | October 17th:
Adventures In Food and Whiskey Pairing: 4:45pm – 5:30pm EST
Whiskey poured neat pairs with food. Andrea Wilson, master of maturation at Michter’s American Whiskeys, and pairings expert Steve Coomes, demonstrate how to find which foods and whiskeys go together well.
The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 4, Rickhouses: 5:30pm – 6:00pm EST
Kentucky’s richhouses in which whiskey is aged have a huge impact on the end result of whiskey flavors. Internal airflow, temperature changes and position to the wind and sun are all factors in of the distilling process. Koetter Construction president, Bob Koetter, and Buzick Construction vice president, Donald Blincoe, describe the crucial roles rickhouses play in whiskey aging.
The Art of Whiskey Making, Part 5, Mingling: 6:00pm – 6:45pm EST
Creating the final flavors in the whiskeys you crave requires the mingling of many barrels and lots of tasting. Four Roses master distiller, Brent Elliott, and Bardstown Bourbon Company chief operating officer, John Hargrove, discuss this careful and time-consuming craft of mingling.
Cocktail Quickie! 6:45pm – 7:00pm EST
This session features Beth Burrows, Beam Suntory American whiskey ambassador, demonstrating two modern riffs on the venerable Bourbon Toddy.
>> Love Hot Toddies? Check out another awesome Wild Turkey Hot Toddy recipe here!
Bourbon & Kentucky Cuisine: 7:00pm – 7:25pm EST
Bardstown restaurateur and chef, Christy “Mammy” Clark, owner of Mammy’s Kitchen and Bar, whips up bourbon infused dishes such as roasted bourbon-glazed Cornish hen, crispy Brussels sprouts and bourbon-peach cobbler.
>> Easiest Slow Cooker Meatball Recipe You Should Try This Week *Hint: Contains KY Bourbon.
Single Barrels: The Real Whiskey Unicorns: 7:30pm – 8:00pm EST
America’s largest distilleries have millions of barrels of bourbon, rye and other whiskeys aging in warehouses. See how distilleries select the perfect ones to be released as single barrels. Aaron Lawrence (international brand ambassador at Blanton’s Bourbon) and Grant Wheeler (barrel program manager at Jim Beam) discuss finding their best single barrels, and why these “one-time-only” bottles are the most unique of any others.
Buying and Selling Your Vintage Whiskey—Legally! 8:00pm – 8:35pm EST
Justin Sloan and Justin Thompson, owners of Justins’ House of Bourbon owners discuss old and rare whiskey’s.
Oh, the Places We’ve Been! 8:45pm – 9:45pm EST
Distillers and brand representatives spend countless days on the road promoting their brands, and the tales of those adventures are colorful. Join Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell, his son, Wild Turkey director of bourbon knowledge, Bruce Russell; Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe, and his son, distiller Freddie Noe, share their most interesting and entertaining stories about their roles as global ambassadors.
Sunday | October 18th:
What is a Collectible Bourbon? Ask the Expert: 2:00pm – 2:25pm EST
Joe Wilson, head of auction content and American whiskey expert from the world’s leading online auction platform, Whisky Auctioneer discusses his love for bourbon.
A Closing Toast to the Future of Whiskey! 2:30pm – 2:55pm EST
The official closing toast of the 2020 Virtual Kentucky Bourbon Festival with Rabbit Hole’s founder and whiskey maker Kaveh Zamanian and David Mandell, chairman of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. They discuss where they see the industry going and dive into topics such as barrel finishes, recipes, and conduct exclusive whiskey tastings. One lucky attendee will be randomly selected to win a signed bottle of Rabbit Hole’s first ever Founder’s Collection release Boxergrail Cask Strength Kentucky Rye Whiskey. Only 1,315 bottles have been made so be sure not to miss it!
About the Kentucky Bourbon Festival
The event celebrates America’s native spirit. It is located in Bardstown, Kentucky (AKA: Bourbon Capital of the World.) Surprisingly, it all started with a bourbon tasting dinner in 1992 and has now turned into the Commonwealth’s leading festival event! Overall, the mission statement of the event is to promote and educate the public on the history and production of Bourbon and support local non-profit organizations.
Over 200 years ago, pioneers began settling the beautiful lands of Kentucky, finding that this was ideal land for distilling bourbon. From the perfect climate for aging barrels, to the fertile soil for growing corn, to the immense amount of limestone that makes for the purest of water, it was the perfect storm! From there, the rest is history. Today, Nelson County is home to many well known and craft distilleries.
