Lexington-based RD1 Spirits became the 47th distillery to join the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, the distillers’ group announced Thursday.
RD1 Spirits were initially founded in 1865 as the Ashland Distillery and became the first company to obtain a federally registered distillery license in Lexington. The distillery closed due to Prohibition in 1933 but was revived with its current name in 2020. RD1 Spirits, which received its Class B distiller’s license in December, anticipates beginning construction on its new facility by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
The inaugural RD1 Spirits releases pay tribute to William Tarr, who purchased Ashland Distillery in 1871. RD1’s current expressions are Old W.M. Tarr Kentucky Straight Whiskey — a blend of eight-year rye and a seven-year bourbon — and Old W.M. Tarr Inheritance, a 12-year Kentucky straight bourbon.
University of Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops and his family are major investors in the RD1 Spirits brand.
Originally published by Whiskey Raiders,
