What’s old is new again. Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. founded in 2012, sits on a 127-acre working farm on the outskirts of Frankfort, Kentucky. Along the way, the family that founded the distillery changed its name to Three Boys Farm Distillery to pay homage to their triplet sons. A couple of years ago the family sold the distillery to entrepreneur and former architect Walter Zausch.
Under new ownership Zausch has begun to make some changes to expand the visitor experience, update production equipment, and expand operational capacity. And one big change is a return the distillery’s original name, Whiskey Thief Distilling Company.
Zausch along with his business partners, family and friends celebrated the name change with a little distillery barn bash. In addition to celebrating the name change he shared the news that the distillery has officially joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour®.
Why the Name Change to Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.?
“If you don’t know what we do here, we celebrate the single barrel,” explained Walter Zausch, Owner of Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. “No two barrels are alike; no two barrels are the same. We really celebrate that single barrel and the uniqueness of that barrel as it matures and changes. Even the temperature, barometric pressure and humidity in this barn will change the flavor of those barrels over time.
“We use the whiskey thief to let our visitors taste the bourbon. As we say, the whole thing is from the land to the hand. We go all the way from the corn that we grow that we use in our bourbon all the way into the barrel and then into your glass.”
“Every time people taste here it’s straight from the barrel, uncut and un-filtered in everything we do.” The way whiskey was meant to be enjoyed.
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Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. Joins the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, continues to grow rapidly with the addition of Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. as its 24th stop.
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association created the statewide journey in 2012 as the nation’s first attraction to feature the burgeoning boutique distilling movement. Its partner attraction, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour, was founded by the KDA in 1999.
“We’re ecstatic to welcome guests into our 10-year-old distillery,” Zausch said. “We offer a unique and unforgettable experience celebrating single barrel Bourbons at barrel-strength, uncut and unfiltered. And we will keep making Bourbon and Whisky using our very traditional processes. We are ready to share the next decade of Whiskey Thief Distilling as part of the Craft Tour.”
Zausch expects their 30,000 visitors per year will quickly grow now that they are a part of the Trail.
Visitors to Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. enjoy an informative and casual Bourbon experience, sampling from several barrels of uncut and unfiltered Bourbon, and can even bottle their favorite to take home. The back patio and cocktail bar, surrounded by the corn grown and used in the Bourbon, allows guests to relax and enjoy the scenic Kentucky landscape.
Mandy Ryan, the KDA’s Director of Kentucky Bourbon Trail experiences, said the growth and popularity of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour over the past 10 years has been phenomenal.
“Our Kentucky Bourbon Trail experiences continue to expand as interest in our signature spirit soars,” Ryan said. “We are thrilled to welcome Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. and encourage visitors to seek out this and the other incredible KBT Craft Tour distilleries.”
Attendance at the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour experiences continue their rapid rebound from COVID and closures, up 160% in total attendance from last year and expected to exceed record numbers in 2022.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour has tallied over 2 million distillery tours since its inception.
You can visit our Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour map here or our Kentucky Bourbon Trail map here. Or, you can see them altogether here on a single map.
Learn more about Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.
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