Bullish on the future: Kentucky bourbon production grows

By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s bourbon industry is showing that it’s increasingly bullish on its future. The industry has reached new production heights despite the COVID-19 pandemic and trade disputes in key European markets. Bluegrass State bourbon producers filled nearly 2.5 million barrels in 2020, setting a new production record. That’s according to information released Monday by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. It marks the third straight year Kentucky distilleries filled more than 2 million barrels of bourbon. And for the first time in the modern era of American whiskey, Kentucky has 10 million barrels of bourbon aging in distillery warehouses.