Bourbon industry shifts to immersive experiences

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- The multibillion-dollar bourbon industry isn't done growing. Old and new distilleries alike are adding on immersive experiences for guests.

Heaven Hill debuted its $19 million expansion this year, complete with a self-fill option. And one of the newest distilleries in Kentucky, Log Still Distillery, has a amphitheater called The Amp, which seats 2,000 people and sold out for its first performance in August.

Bardstown Bourbon Company started five years ago with modern in mind. You walk in the front doors to a restaurant with bourbon-inspired dishes.

"The bourbon industry has changed, said Dan Callaway, vice president of Bardstown Bourbon Company's Hospitality and Product Development. "It has gone to this modern model, which we're fully behind."

He said Bardstown is becoming the Napa Valley for bourbon.

"We're at the very beginning of what we can create in the bourbon industry," Callaway said.

Even the head distiller at Bardstown Bourbon Company, Nick Smith, gives kudos to the hospitality efforts for the company's success.

"It's kind of heart and soul of the industry," he said. "So you know that's how you get people in the door."

Co-host of "The Bourbon Life" podcast, Mark Rucker said it's hard to ignore the impact of bourbon in Kentucky.

"In my life, I think maybe a month to six months ahead, and these guys are thinking 15-20 years down the road," Rucker said. "They're spending multiple hundreds of millions of dollars. I don't think the industry is going anywhere but up."