New owner of Louisville distillery takes the reins during uncertain time for spirits industry

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville brandy distillery has a new owner who is new to the city and evolving with the spirits business during an uncertain time for the industry.

Copper & Kings, located just a block from Lynn Family Stadium in Butchertown, was sold last week to 35-year-old Rob Bourdon. The 30,000-square-foot facility employs 13 people and has been a fixture in the neighborhood since opening in 2014.

Bourdon, who moved from Tennessee last month with his wife and two children, said he has been considering the purchase for more than a year.

"It was one of those things where I just had that itch to be an entrepreneur," Bourdon said. "I started seeing what they were doing. I was looking at the facility and then I just got so excited."

The distillery at 1121 E. Washington St. primarily produces copper-pot distilled American brandy aged in bourbon barrels. In 2023, the company debuted its first bourbon.

While bourbon dominates Kentucky's spirits industry, Bourdon said he wants to highlight brandy's long history in America — one that predates bourbon.

"There's such a fun story and cultural, historical relevance to what we are classifying as the original American spirit," he said.

The acquisition comes as the global spirits industry faces challenges, including tariffs. Bourdon said that while he can't control those factors, he believes now was the right time to invest.

He plans to increase tours and expand educational programs while also making physical changes to the building — including replacing the metal shipping containers in the entrance to create a more open space for events.