It was the fall of 2020. Right in the middle of the pandemic. The whole country slowed to a crawl. Two entrepreneurs, Mike Montgomery and Jesse McKnight, were kicking around ideas about breaking into the bourbon industry, an area that fascinated them but with which neither had experience.
Montgomery was a public affairs consultant and McKnight, who grew up in Georgetown, was a land use consultant. But without any background in bourbon, their ideas seemed like nothing more than “I think I can” dreams.
“But we are enterprising sorts and did plenty of due diligence and found that most, if not all, other bourbon companies were pulling back from launching new products at that time,” said Montgomery. “Conventional wisdom said: ‘Those companies are smart. They know what they’re doing.’ But instead, we saw it as clearing the deck of competition, which created a real opportunity to launch with gusto and connect with consumers.”
While growing up in Georgetown, McKnight lived a short walk from the homestead of Rev. Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister and distiller. In the late 1700s, Rev. Craig distilled whiskey at his property along Royal Spring. As a boy, McKnight always called the spring “Blue Run.”
Years later, Montgomery and McKnight’s vision, and that of three other associates, evolved into Blue Run Spirits. For now, the bourbon company has a contract distilling arrangement with Bardstown Bourbon Company and Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort. But Blue Run’s leaders have enormous plans for a future move into a stunning new distillery in Georgetown.
Montgomery, who is Blue Run’s CEO, and his co-founders, have, in less than three years and during the height of the pandemic, created 13 bourbon and rye whiskey releases, some of which have won prestigious awards. Limited quantities put on the market are often snatched up in minutes by eager online buyers.
The co-founders want to create a more modern approach to the production and presentation of their bourbons. “This industry is long and storied and with an amazing history,” said Montgomery. “But we actually embrace the idea of being outsiders.”
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Blue Run Spirits announced plans to build a futuristic, $51 million distillery in Georgetown. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and titled “Meander,” all operations, including distillation and maturation, will take place in the same continuous building.
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Blue Run Spirits announced plans to build a futuristic, $51 million distillery in Georgetown. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and titled “Meander,” all operations, including distillation and maturation, will take place in the same continuous building.
The makers of Blue Run Spirits are thrilled about the construction of a remarkable new distillery and public space in a Georgetown business park across the road from Toyota’s manufacturing plant and next door to Country Boy Brewing.
The planned building, both above ground and below, will be “more spaceship than barn,” said Montgomery. It will twist and curve a half-mile over the landscape and include photovoltaic roof tiles for harvesting clean energy to help run the building. Both whiskey production and aging will take place in the same continuous building.
Traditional bourbon distilleries contain a lot of wood, copper and concrete. But the new Blue Run Spirits home will not. Blue Run’s cofounders felt that to stand out, they couldn’t just re-enact a blueprint that had been done before.
The building’s design plan, labeled “Meander,” comes from the Bjarke Ingels Group, commonly called BIG. The company is based in Copenhagen and New York and offers teams of architects, designers and builders for projects worldwide, including the headquarters of Google and LEGO.
"Bjarke Ingels Group really separated itself from the field because they have this innate ability to tap into our minds, draft what we wanted, and put it on paper. They nailed it.”
“We did an exhaustive search over many months,” said Montgomery. “We met a lot of great architects along the way. But Bjarke Ingels Group really separated itself from the field because they have this innate ability to tap into our minds, draft what we wanted, and put it on paper. They nailed it.”
The project is expected to cost $51 million. Ground will be broken late this year and construction is estimated to take two years.
Devon McKinney is Blue Run’s lead designer and the brains behind the aesthetics of the new building and also Blue Run’s graceful bottles, which feature a gold medallion with a Viceroy butterfly on it. It is Kentucky’s official state butterfly. McKinney is a versatile creative force. Before all this bourbon business, he was responsible for creating some of the world’s most iconic men’s sneakers for Nike.
“We are a bourbon brand that takes a lot of pride in our ingredients, especially water from Royal Spring,” McKinney said. “We wanted to use the butterfly symbol because of where all this began but also because we do things differently and take a modern approach to making bourbon. We liken ourselves to the metamorphosis of butterflies, but inside the bourbon industry.”
A key person in the development of Blue Run’s flavor and presentation is industry legend Jim Rutledge. He is the former master distiller for Four Roses Bourbon. In addition, he has been honored numerous times by his peers and is a member of several industry halls of fame. His title at Blue Run is liquid advisor.
“Jim is someone who has a crystal ball,” said Montgomery. “He has one of the best palates in the business and has a very discerning mind. When we are distilling at Bardstown Bourbon Company, Jim is the distiller of those barrels and advises us on the product. He can determine when a barrel has hit its peak.”
Whiskey director Shaylyn Gammon is also part of the team with Rutledge on barrel selection and readiness. She is also deemed a master blender.
“I am involved in all aspects of the creation of our products from the grains selected all the way through bottling, as well as learning how to distill from the esteemed Jim Rutledge,” said Gammons in an online interview with the organization Bourbon Women. “I also advise on the business development plan for the company and where we want to take our brand.”
Despite their eagerness to weave modern methods into the distilling and marketing of bourbon, McKinney, Montgomery and his executive teammates acknowledge the past.
“We are very respectful of bourbon history and heritage and we do not dismiss any of that,” McKinney said. “It’s our foundation. But we also want to push into something new and see if it can resonate with a broader audience.”