Bourbon & Beyond Festival Releases Fire Hose List of Food, Music & Bourbon

In honor of National Bourbon Day the Bourbon & Beyond festival organizers have released a plethora of details on the September 2017 event to be hosted in Louisville, Kentucky. The Bourbon & Beyond Festival is an all-in-one bourbon, food, and music festival that celebrates the craftsmanship, soul and spirit of this southern city.

The event organizer, Danny Wimmer Presents says this is a showcase featuring the best bourbons, master distillers, national and local chefs, bartenders, musicians, and many other artisans. Along with nationally celebrated Louisville chef, Edward Lee and best-selling author and acclaimed bourbon authority, Fred Minnick, this talented trio has brought these partners together to blend the best elements of a bourbon festival, a food festival, and a music festival into one all-encompassing celebration.

The Food Rundown

“I can’t wait to show the world how we do bourbon in Louisville. It is not just a libation, it’s a lifestyle. This is an idea that Bourbon & Beyond and I believe wholeheartedly, and the culinary elements will bring in a whole new level of quality that we haven’t seen before at a festival.”
~ Chef Edward Lee

Attendees of the Bourbon & Beyond Festival are sure to be blown away by the overwhelming group of talented chefs, famed restaurants, interactive demos, panels, outstanding dishes and exciting epicurean events taking over Louisville this September.

Chef & Restaurant Partners include renowned local and national chefs and beloved Louisville restaurants to deliver one-of-a-kind delectable creations. National Chefs to make appearances throughout the weekend are Tom Colicchio, Carla Hall, Edward Lee, Chris Cosentino, Amanda Freitag, Jose Salazar, Cosmo Goss & Erling Wu-Bower, Kevin Ashworth, Anthony Lamas and Anthony Falco, just to name a few. Local restaurants include Baxter’s 942 Bar & Grill, Boss Hog’s BBQ, Doc Crow’s, Gospel Bird, Seviche, The Manhattan Exchange, Whiskey Dry and many more.
Parties: A ticket to Bourbon & Beyond grants access to all the parties throughout the festival.
The Big Easy Boil: Chef Anthony Lamas hosts the Big Easy Crawfish Boil where guests can choose between Chef Lamas’ Latin Flavor or the NoLa Crawfish King’s traditional recipe. Featuring New Orleans inspired tunes from DJ Johnny Sidell.
Tiki Barrel Bar: In addition to serving up outstanding tiki libations, renowned bartenders and cocktail book authors Jane Danger & Alla Lapuschik demonstrate how Bourbon is taking over Tiki. Featuring tunes by Coat Check Pool Party DJs.
Southern Soul BBQ: Chef Kevin Ashworth & Stacie Stewart of 610 Magnolia & Milkwood demonstrates the art of southern cooking & Maker’s Mark cocktails at this soulful inspired party. Featuring tunes by Derby City Soul Club.

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Live Cooking Demos and Inspiring Panels

Unfiltered & Uncut: Chef Tom Colicchio + special guest: Unfiltered & Uncut
B&B Talks: “Break The Bootlegger featuring Julian P. Van Winkle III & Edward Lee”: Join Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery president Julian P. Van Winkle III and Chef Edward Lee for a discussion of identifying authenticity and the real cost of counterfeiting in bourbon, and beyond.
Love & Fried Chicken with Carla Hall
Why Rye?: Anthony Falco + guest discuss the journey of ancient grains and what they mean to the art of pizza and distilling.
Taste Trifecta: Chris Cosentino, Edward Lee & Mathew Landan (of Haymarket)
Young Guns: Erling Wu-Bower & Cosmo Goss, move over Jon & Vinny! (I know we can’t print that but you get my drift)
B&B Talks: “The Wonder Women of Whiskey”: From distilling to distributing, branding to bartending meet a few of the women who are leading calling the shots in the bourbon business.
- Marianne Barnes, Master Distiller, Castle & Key Distillery
- Jane Bowie, maturation specialist, Maker’s Mark Distillery
- Jane Danger & Alla Lapuschik, authors, “From Rhum to Whiskey”
- Allisa Henley, Master Distiller, Sazerac Tennessee
- Andrea Wilson, GM & VP, Michter’s Distillery
- Moderator: Susan Reigler, author, “Kentucky Bourbon Country”

Over the Top Feasts

The B&B Supper Club featuring Edward Lee & Chris Cosentino: Following in the footsteps of the completely sold-out B&B Supper Club hosted by Angel’s Envy featuring Tom Colicchio , we are proud to announce The B&B Supper Club featuring Chris Cosentino & Edward Lee. This 30-person ultra-exclusive dinner on Sunday gives you a stellar view of the stage.
The Chicks & Champs Gospel Brunch: Traditional, Hot or Karaage, attendees to choose their favorite fried chicken style and sip sparkling wine with Cosmo Goss & Erling Wu-Bower on Saturday and Carla Hall on Sunday.

The Bourbon Rundown

Fred Minnick – Best selling bourbon author.

Curated by Fred Minnick, Edward Lee, and Chris Cosentino, Bourbon & Beyond has partnered with some of the best Kentucky bourbon distilleries to offer a rich taste of Kentucky and Bourbon with unique tasting experiences directly with the Master Distillers and their exceptionally crafted spirits.

“Bourbon & Beyond will attract thousands of people to the Commonwealth and introduce them to a lineup of great Kentucky Bourbons. We’re happy to partner with Danny Wimmer Presents on this opportunity to empower festival goers to drink responsibly and to learn more about our rich history and timeless craft.”
~ Eric Gregory, President of Kentucky Distillers’ Association

Bourbon Distilleries

These acclaimed associations and distilleries will all be featured and showcased during the festival: Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Angels Envy Distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery, Jim Beam Distillery, Bulleit, Boone County Distilling Company, Four Roses Distillery, Maker’s Mark Distillery, MB Roland Distillery, Michters Distillery, New Riff Distillery, Brown-Foreman, Woodford Reserve Distillery, Kentucky Peerless, Rabbit Hole, Smooth Ambler and Limestone Branch Distillery. Other spirits and beverages to be featured include Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort and more to be announced soon.

Master Distiller and Bourbon Celebrity Appearances

Appearances from Bourbon Celebrities include: Julian P. Van Winkle III of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley and Master Blender Drew Mayville of Buffalo Trace Distillery, Master Distiller John Hargrove of Barton 1792 Distillery, Distiller Allisa Henley of Sazerac of Tennessee, Kaveh Zamanian of Rabbit Hole Distillery, Master Distiller Marianne Barnes of Castle & Key Distillery, Jane Bowie of Maker’s Mark, Andrea Wilson of Michter’s, The Henderson Family (Wes, Andrew, Kyle) of Angel’s Envy, Trey Zoeller of Jefferson’s Bourbon.

“Bourbon & Beyond is bringing an entirely new generation of whiskey lovers to the birthplace of bourbon. We’re looking forward to celebrating with the entire bourbon community behind this exciting new endeavor.”
~ Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley

Experiences & Speakeasies

Attendees will also get the opportunity to immerse themselves within the Kentucky bourbon world even further, from hidden speakeasies to immersive events such as:

The Big Bourbon Bar: This larger than life activation will include a 20,000- sq. ft bar serving expertly crafted bourbon cocktails featuring the following, exclusive Bourbon partners: 1792, Angel’s Envy, Barrell, Basil Hayden’s, Blade and Bow, Bloody Butcher’s Creed, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Coopers’ Craft, Eagle Rare, Eighteen 33, Four Roses, Hartfield & Co., Jefferson’s, Jim Beam, Kentucky Peerless, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, MB Roland, Michter’s, O.K.I., Old Forester, Rabbit Hole, Smooth Ambler, W. L. Weller, Woodford Reserve, and Yellowstone.
The Haymarket Hunter’s Club: A bourbon hound’s dream come true with experimental, rare, and hard-to-find bourbons.
The Brown-Forman Cooperage: Brown-Forman is the only major spirits company in the entire world to make its own new barrels, and Bourbon & Beyond is very excited to partner with The Brown-Forman Cooperage to offer festivalgoers the experience of witnessing the historic art of barrel raising and featuring Old Forrester, Woodford Reserve, Coopers’ Craft and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.
Down The Rabbit Hole Speakeasy: Rabbit Hole invites you to go Down The Rabbit Hole into an exclusive bar hidden off the beaten path featuring cocktails by Proprietors LLC, the team behind Death & Co. That’s all we can say for now – figuring out how to get in will be entirely up to you!
Booker Noe’s Small Batch Bar: Booker Noe was a sixth-generation master distiller who grew up at a distillery in the heart of Kentucky. He was born to bourbon. He actually coined the term “small batch.” And if you can find Booker Noe’s Small Batch Bar, you’ll be one of the lucky guests to taste and experience what Booker believed in: Like bourbon, life is best enjoyed in slower, smaller batches. Head here and enjoy some Basil Hayden, Knob Creek and Baker’s.
The Smooth Ambler Saloon: Hidden somewhere on the grounds of Bourbon & Beyond is The Smooth Ambler Saloon, a speakeasy featuring Old Scout bourbon cocktails. Stay tuned for details on how to get in!
Bourbon Workshops: Access to bourbon’s best and brightest in a series of free and intimate distilling, bartending, pairing, and cooking workshops.

The Music Rundown

Along with the world-class musical performances happening throughout the weekend and on the two main music stages, Bourbon & Beyond’s BIG BOURBON BAR will also include bluegrass music all weekend long curated by The Bluegrass Situation and featuring The Steel Wheels, Mipso, Town Mountain, Love Canon, NewTown, The Tillers and Reva Dawn Salon. Bourbon & Beyond’s Resident DJ’s also join the mix with Coat Check Pool Party DJ’s, Craig Pfunder, Derby City Soul Club and, Johnny Siegel spinning all weekend long at the parties.

The Headliners

They join the headliners of the weekend Stevie Nicks, Eddie Vedder, Steve Miller Band, Band of Horses, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Paul Rodgers, Amos Lee, Buddy Guy, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, G. Love & Special Sauce, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ZZ Ward, Nikki Lane, Shawn James & The Shapeshifters, Fantastic Negrito, Kiefer Sutherland, Dave Cavalier, bluegrass favorites curated by The Bluegrass Situation, and more.

The Bourbon & Beyond Festival is sure to be the most unforgettable and inspiring experience of music, food and bourbon yet. Like the flames that char the barrels, the hearth that nourishes our appetites, or the heart of an incredible beat, soul and passion will radiate throughout the Bourbon & Beyond festival.

Bourbon & Beyond is a two day festival that takes place September 23rd and 24th, 2017 in Louisville, KY.