National Bourbon Day is a day of celebration for lovers of America’s Native Spirit, Bourbon. On National Bourbon Day 2022 the Bourbon Capital Guild, a community focused non-profit located in Bardstown, Kentucky, the ‘Bourbon Capital of the World’ announced that it had received a donation of $100,000 from the Brindiamo Group to create a new home for the young organization. As plans came together over the next year it was announced the Guild’s new home would be built on the third floor atop Spalding Hall in downtown Bardstown. The location was later dubbed the ‘Brindiamo Penthouse’ in a space that would be shared between the Bourbon Capital Guild and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.
Bourbon fans may recognize the name Spalding Hall as its the home to the Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History or the museum formerly known as the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. As you can see, there is a theme here. As the project got underway, it was clear more work needed to be done. In addition to the known renovations to upgrade the space many mechanical issues bubbled up in the 197 year old building. The existing bathroom needed to be upgraded to be ADA compliant, a second bathroom was needed, and if bourbon fans were to keep their cool, a new air conditioning system would be required. To meet the new demands of the project Brindiamo Group, a leading beverage alcohol industry consulting firm specializing in sourcing whiskey, stepped up again and committed another $50,000 to the project.
The Brindiamo Penthouse National Bourbon Day Grand Opening
The Bourbon Capital Guild celebrated National Bourbon Day 2023 with a grand opening and ribbon cutting at their newly renovated space. And as their tagline says, the new space promises to deliver ‘Elevated bourbon experiences and education, bonded in bourbon’ and after visiting we think it will do just that.
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Bourbon Capital Alliance Executive Director Sam Lacy kicked off the grand opening with a few remarks.
“I want to thank our sustaining partners, our nine distilleries [all listed below] and Visit Bardstown. Your financial support of our organization over the last two years has allowed us to achieve things that benefit Bardstown, the one and true Bourbon Capital of the World.
“And finally, thank you from the bottom of my heart to Jeff Hopmayer of the Brindiamo Group,” said Lacy. “Your generous donation allowed all of this to come to life.”
Brindiamo Group Announces an Additional $50,000 Donation
Before the actual ribbon cutting Hopmayer shared a few words and surprised the crowd with a new contribution to the Bourbon Capital Guild.
“It’s all about community in this county,” said Hopmayer. “Being a part of it and doing good things for good reasons, that’s why we stepped in to do this. And we are proud of what this space has become, and we wanted it to be the Rolls Royce of all of Bardstown for everybody to use and do all the things that Sam has planned for it.
“Unbeknownst to Sam or anybody actually, Stacy (Pritchard) you said you need a kitchen? I will give the first $50,000 to the kitchen. Hopefully, everyone else in the room will contribute… Thanks for coming and we are glad the space is done.”
This brings Brindiamo Groups total contribution up to $200,000 for this project.
The upgraded space will be used by the Bourbon Capital Guild for classroom training, meetings, a bar and a general gathering spot. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival offices are also on the third floor of Spalding Hall. It is expected the Festival will use the Penthouse for their upcoming 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Festival that takes place September 15-17, 2023.
Joseph & Joseph Architects were the architect of record for the project and provided all the renderings for the Brindiamo Penthouse.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear expressed his excitement, stating, “Kentucky’s signature bourbon industry is a vital part of the commonwealth’s continued success, whether that is through production, tourism or the numerous other opportunities the sector brings to our state. I am thrilled to see this new venue opening in Nelson County and the prosperity that bourbon continues to create throughout this region and statewide. Congratulations to the Bardstown community and everyone who had a hand in making this project possible.”
The Bourbon Capital Guild is supported by Bardstown Tourism, Brindiamo Group, Buzick Construction and its nine sustaining distillery partners. Its distillery partners include the following distilleries.
Learn more about Bourbon Capital Guild.
View all Bardstown and Nelson County Distilleries.
View all Kentucky Distilleries.
View all U.S. Distilleries.
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‘Bourbon Capital of the World’ Upping its Game with a Bourbon Penthouse atop Historic Spalding Hall [Renderings]
Bourbon Capital of the World Leadership Toasts 4 Days of ‘National Bourbon Day’ Celebrations – 2022
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