On our way out to Woodford Distillery yesterday we passed these two abandoned distilleries: Old Crow and Old Taylor. Whoa. Wish I could've gotten in there to take more photos! We just snapped these from the car but check 'em out:
From abandonedonline.net (a really interesting site!):
Constructed by E.H. Taylor, Jr. in 1887, Old Taylor was known for a fine, quality product that was the first to produce one million cases of straight bourbon whiskey.
When the Old Taylor Distillery was constructed, it was considered a showcase of bourbon making in the entire state. A peristyle springhouse, sunken gardens, stone bridges, gazebos and castle-like buildings adorned with turrets surrounded the 82-acre property, giving it a charming and imposing feeling. The main offices and plant were constructed entirely of Tyrone, Kentucky limestone, giving the structure a castle-like appearance.
Inside the buildings were gardens and rooms were Colonel Taylor would entertain guests and important officials from the state capital. In the early 19th-century, Old Taylor was as much as a tourist attraction as the capitol building. Visitors arrived on the “Riney-B,” or the Richmond, Nicholasville, Irvine & Beattyville Railroad, where they would be given a tour of the facility. Each were given miniature bottles of Old Taylor whiskey. The close proximity of the Old Crow Distillery was a boom to both distilleries, as both shared warehouse and some production machinery.
Love this signage:
The Old Crow Distillery Company has its history traced back to the early 1800′s. Once famous for producing Old Grand Dad, Bourbon DeLuxe, Sunny Brook among many others, it has been closed since 1987 as a result of a buy-out from competitor Jim Beam. (Also from abandonedonline.net)
