Distilleries in Kentucky have been working on the ’Napa-fication’ of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail since it began in 1999. Ironically, when the Trail started more than two decades ago many of the counties that were home to some of the world’s largest bourbon distilleries were in dry counties. Over the years, that’s changed and so have many of the Prohibition era laws that were holding distilleries back from becoming true Napa Valley like destinations.
Log Still Distillery in Gethsemane, Nelson County, Kentucky, about a dozen miles south of Bardstown, The Bourbon Capital of the World, just took a giant leap forward in the states move toward building a true Napa-like experience and destination. Log Still Distillery at Dant Crossing just held a ribbon cutting for ‘The Legacy’, a multi-function wedding and event venue.
Before we jump into the details of ‘The Legacy’ let’s talk about the Dant legacy. J.W. ‘Wally’ Dant III is the great-great-great grandson of Joseph Washington Dant. If you’ve read any history about bourbon or the distilling industry, you’ve likely come across the Dant or Beam family names. You can find these two names either on the front of a bottle of bourbon or on the ‘about’ pages of many bourbon distilleries.
Log Still Distillery sits on what is now a 300+ acre site was once home to the Dant & Head Distillery. The Dant family sold off the distillery which was later called the Gethsemane Distillery. That distillery was sold a few times and eventually shut down operations at this location around 1961 and moved operations to Louisville.
On National Bourbon Day in June of 2019 Wally Dant announced he had purchased the old Dant property, the same property where his father once lived, and would be building a new distillery and destination.
What is a Legacy?
Legacy – lĕgə-sē – Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past.
Wally Dant is not only reviving his family legacy on this hallowed ground but he’s building, quite literally, a new family legacy with Log Still Distillery.
‘The Legacy’ at Dant Crossing Ribbon Cutting
The Legacy is a 21,000 square foot first of its kind wedding chapel and event venue on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The building which was designed by Dean and Dean Associates/Architects where Wally’s cousin John M. Dant is the architect of record for the project. On one side the Chapel can hold up to 350 guests, the space can also be broken out for smaller groups, and on the other side a banquet hall that can also hold 350 guests. The covered breezeway between the two halls can be used for receptions or cocktail hour.
The original plan for the distillery in 2019 did not include a large stand-alone event space like this. That idea came later as Dant was giving a tour of the property to Nelson County Economic Development President & COO Kim Huston.
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“The first time Wally invited me out here I got in his truck, and we went riding around there wasn’t anything out here yet,” said Huston. “We rode around, and we rode around, and he said we are going to do this here. We went all over the property. This is our vision; this is what the dream is. I was just in awe but there was one thing missing.
“I asked him, I said, ‘What about some kind of conference facility, an event space?’ I’ve been trying to sell an event space and tourism… to investors for a long time and no one would listen to it. I thought ok, I’m going to make a shot at this guy, he’s a visionary, he’ll understand the need for something like this.
“And then I read in the newspaper not too long after that, that he was talking about all the projects and he said, ‘And there’s was going to be a conference center because Kim Huston said she wanted one.’
“I would have been happy with a pole barn, some place that a couple dozen people could gather, a barn would have been fine. But again, when you all do things, you do things right and this is an incredible facility. Our game just stepped up a whole lot here in Bardstown and Nelson County… It was that piece of the puzzle that was missing. It was that one thing we didn’t have… We needed a place to gather… and here we are, and you did it. And it is now a true destination.”
The Legacy: Faith, Family, Community & Bourbon
Dant provided some insight into his thinking behind the entire Log Still Distillery project during the ribbon cutting ceremony for The Legacy.
“Welcome to the grand opening of The Legacy at Dant Crossing,” said Dant. “I just want to say thank you all for attending and being a part of all that we are doing out here. And the support that you’ve shown us over the course of the last two years since we announced in 2019 what we were going to be doing here at Dant Crossing.
“We hope you find this place a real show piece not only for this community, this county, and this state. What we have tried to do is build something that you all could be proud of. And being a part of this community, and being a part of this state, and our family being here for over 200 years is really something special and proud, that I know each one of my family members, are very proud to be a part of what we are doing out here. And we just want to say thank you for all of them for the love and support that you’ve shown us.
“One of the things that we always talk about here as a part of Dant Crossing and what we are doing here on our campus is that we talk about our faith, faith is important, our God is important to us. Our families are important to us, our community is important to us and lastly bourbon is important to us.”
“We’ve been a part of this community for over 200 years. That’s a real important thing for our state is to be able to touch your roots and bring your roots forward. And for us, it’s leaving something behind. I’m not going to be here forever I understand but what you want to do is you want to leave a legacy like this. You want to leave a legacy for those generations that follow you.
“So, for us, this building represents, God, what we faithfully call our little Chapel room, family, community, and bourbon. When you can combine those all together in a place like this and then leave it behind for future generations to treasure… You really hope that what you are doing, is that you are leaving something behind for the next generation.”
The ribbon cutting event included the state’s Governor and the Mayor of Bardstown.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear commented, “What a place to make an incredible memory… I see here the vision of the Dant family, but I also see a whole lot of who we are. As you look around it feels uniquely Kentuckian. And how we are, I think the very best at hospitality in this country and I think people are going to feel not just the Dant family values but our Kentucky values when they are on this campus.”
“Dant Crossing is fast becoming an iconic stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail,” said Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton. “And it’s also becoming an iconic stop for those of us who live here in Bardstown and Nelson County and surrounding counties. We love what you are doing, we congratulate you. This is a wonderful quality of life addition to those of is to this area of Kentucky.”
The Legacy is Open for Business
The Legacy already has more than 20 weddings booked for 2022 with room for many more. The full-service luxury venue can provide wedding planning assistance including vendor management through engagement, rehearsal, and day of wedding coordination. And for those looking for a place to stay, The Mansion, a fully restored 19th-century, Federal-style home, is just a few steps away and is great for entertaining a small group such as the bridal party or corporate VIP events.
In February 2021 they cut the ribbon on ‘The Homestead‘ B&B, in May they cut the ribbon on the new visitor center, cocktail bar and tasting room featuring a 50-gallon copper pot still and that summer they opened ‘The Amp’ an open air 2,000 person entertainment venue.
What Comes Next for this Destination?
Still to come at the distillery is the distillery itself, rick houses, a full-service 200 seat restaurant and a train depot that will one day welcome guests by rail car.
Related Stories
What is the Napa-fication of Kentucky?
Log Still Distillery Celebrates its 1st Ribbon Cutting with Opening of ‘The Homestead’ B&B at Dant Crossing
The J.W. Dant Legacy Rebirth is Well Underway as Log Still Distillery Officially Breaks Ground [Renderings]
J.W. Dant Investing $12 Million to Restart Historic Distillery in the Bourbon Capital of the World
Learn more about Log Still Distillery.
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