Green River Distilling Co - Distillery
Main Entrance - Green River Distilling Co
Warehouse DSP-10
Green River Distilling Co Slogan
Green River Distilling Co - Distillery Campus
Visitor Center Entrance
Cocktail Bar in Visitor Center
Event Space in Visitor Center
Gift Shop in Visitor Center
Bottles Available for Purchase in Gift Shop
Classroom
Grain Hoppers and Hammermill
Original Distillery Control Panel
Cooker
Fermenters
41 Foot Tall Column Still
41 Foot Tall Column Still
Doubler from Medley Distillery
Clay Tile 20,000 Barrel Rickhouses
Barrels in Rickhouse
Bottling Line
Tasting
First Barrel - Green River Distilling Co
Green River Distilling Co.
(Formerly O.Z. Tyler Distillery)
10 Distillery Road
Owensboro, KY 42301
(270) 691-9001
The story of Green River Distilling Co. began back in 1885 when J.W. McCulloch first distilled his Green River Whiskey. Interestingly, his slogan was "The Whiskey Without A Headache". For obvious reasons, the use of this spurious slogan was not allowed to stand, and so today's version is "Whiskey without Regrets". Although one could dispute this as well; it sort of reminds me of "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Let's hope it's true!
The distillery has a complex history including being essentially destroyed by fire back in 1918. It was revived after Prohibition as the Medley Distillery and then changed hands several more times. In 2014, the defunct distillery was purchased by the Terressentia Corporation (now the
Green River Spirits Company) which renamed it the O.Z. Tyler Distillery in honor of the company founder. Since then it has come full circle. While COVID-19 created much chaos last year, in September 2020, the Green River Distilling Co. found life once again at it's ancestral home while claiming it’s original Distilled Spirits Plant number, DSP-KY 10.The distillery is located in Owensboro, KY, a short distance from downtown. As we approached the main gate of the campus, the view was definitely industrial yet there was a strong historic feel. We soaked in a wide angle view of the spacious grounds. There were barrelhouses off to the right and the main production buildings were easily recognized straight ahead in the distance. After clearing the main gate, we headed down the lengthy drive to the visitor center, which is located at the back of the campus.
We arrived at the visitor center just before our tour’s start time. The building is large and houses visitor check-in, the gift shop, a cocktail bar, and also serves as Green River's event space. Had we been a little earlier, we would have had time for a drink at the cocktail bar. Drinks are allowed on the tour, so there’s no need to rush to finish it. We met our tour guide, Caryn, in the large entry area, and then headed off with the rest of our group to a smaller room where the tour commenced.
Once we were all comfortably seated, Caryn regaled us with the colorful history of the distillery and the people involved. With some distillery insight under our belts, we headed outside the visitor's center stopping just in front of the retired smokestack, a remnant from the Old Medley Distillery. Here, in socially distanced groups, we started the walking portion of the tour. Caryn first explained the rules of bourbon then moved on to describe the role of the large tower standing before us. The tower houses the hammermill and the grain hopper, with the both being elevated so that gravity can help move those grains along.
Our next stop brought us inside the distillery. Just up a short flight of stairs, we could look down on the three 12,000 gallon cookers. Towards the middle of the room is a large control panel with knobs and dials, looking like it came out of a 1950’s sci-fi movie. In fact, it dates back to the 1930’s., although it's just for show these days; the distillery is now controlled via a high tech computer system. The 41 foot tall, 54 inch diameter Vendome column still is immediately adjacent to the cookers and panel. Also on this platform is the doubler, which is the original from the Medley Distillery and one item still in use today. It’s very close quarters in here!
Moving on to the fermentation room, we learned that in order to keep the giant still supplied with “distiller’s beer”, Green River has 27 fermenters, each just shy of 16,000 gallon capacity. Fermentation takes 3-5 days to reach the desired 8% ABV. Once fermentation is complete , the distiller’s beer is then transferred to the beer well, where it awaits distillation. The first distillation takes place in the large column still, with the “low wine” coming out at 120 proof. Then it is off to the doubler to reach a final proof of 138. This “high wine” heads to the spirit tanks where the proof is brought back down to 120 for barreling.
With stops at Rickhouse A and barrel dumping/bottling, we learn something unique about Green River’s process. They use both side fill and end fill barrels. The side fill barrels are stored on their sides in traditional ricks, housed in the 6 clay tile rickhouses on the distillery property. The end fill barrels are stored vertically on pallets and stored in metal sided rickhouses. After aging, regardless of their storage method, the barrels are dumped and the bourbon is bottled on the in-house bottling line, then packaged, and sent off for distribution.
Time for the tasting! We headed back to the visitor center and into a different small room where 3 tasting glasses were set out for each of us who were tasting. This distillery is one of the few that offfers a Designated Driver option, so not everyone was partaking. Green River contract distills for many different brands, and some of those were included in our tasting. Today we tried Kentucky 10, a wheated bourbon; Yellow Banks, a rye bourbon; and Quarter Horse Rye, a rye whiskey. We were also offered our choice of a fourth pour, and were able to select either Bradshaw Bourbon, Humble Bee or Ladder Nine. Caryn led the tasting with skill, describing each taste, and inquiring about tasters' thoughts on the samples. This wrapped up the tour and we were then free to visit the gift shop to buy some swag, and of course, whiskey.
We really enjoyed our visit to Green River Distilling. The distillery setting is unique and quite pleasing to the eye and we are glad that the folks at Green River have brought this historic distillery again back to life! Definitely add them to your list for when you are in the
Owensboro area!Check out our video virtual tour of the Green River Distilling Co
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Please note that Distillery Hours and Tour/Tasting Availability may vary. Please contact the distillery or check their web page or social media for details before you go.
| Days of operation | Gift Shop & Cocktail Lounge Monday – Saturday, 10am – 3pm |
Paved Drive / Lot | Paved Lot |
Motorcycle Parking | No separate parking, but lot is large |
-Motorcycle unfriendly features | No |
Number of tours per day | Distillery Tours: Monday – Saturday, 10am, 12pm, and 2pm Sit and Sip: Monday-Saturday, 10:30am and 1:30pm |
Length of Tour(s) | 1 hr |
Advanced topic tours? | No |
Advanced topic tour names | N/A |
Tours by owners /distillers available? | No |
Number of different types of tours | 1 Tour 1 Tasting/History |
On-Line Tour Reservations Available | Yes |
Advanced Reservations Recommended/Required | Yes |
| Cost for tour(s) in $ | $15 |
Tasting Included? | Yes |
| Number of samples included in tasting | 4 |
| Tasting Only Option? | Sort of. It also includes Distillery History presentation |
| Tasting Only Option Cost | $10 |
High-end tasting option? | No |
High-end tasting option cost? | N/A |
Designated Driver Option | Yes ($7.50) |
Handicapped Accessible? | The visitor center is accessible, but many parts of the distillery are not |
| Souvenirs included with tour? | No |
Gift shop | Yes |
On-Site bottle sales? | Yes |
| On-site food: Restaurant/Cafe/Snacks | No |
| On-site Cocktail bar | Yes |
| On-site event space | Yes |
| Should I visit? (Yes, Perhaps, No) | Yes |
| Unique Features | Revival of historic distillery |
Website | |
Date Visited | April 2021 |
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