Back to Old Taylor Distillery: Becoming Castle and Key, Part 2

Castle and Key Distillery
One of the most stunning destinations on the distillery grounds is the keyhole-shaped
springhouse that stores water from adjacent Glenns Creek and surrounding land.  This water
 is used to make Castle and Key's bourbon, gin, and vodka.

1822 gazebo waiting for repairs

Brick walls and exposed beams highlight the event space.

A peak inside what remains of the original bottling facility.  The roof is gone, but
note that some of the old curtains survive.

The damaged roof of another building.

Old Taylor became National Distillers

One wall & many stones remain of another building on the grounds.

Remnants of the fallen building have been fashioned into garden beds that will produce herbs used to flavor some of
Castle and Key's products.  At the end of the herb gardens is the entrance to a huge storage building.

Already in use, this storage building is nearly as long as two football fields.

The moat that surrounds the castle where the distilling process takes place.

Buried beneath several feet of mud and brush was Old Taylor's sunken garden.  The fountain, walkways, and small
outbuildings are original, and famed Kentucky gardener, Jon Carloftis, restored the garden.

Castle and Key is scheduled to open to the public in the fall of 2018, and I can't
wait to come back!

Back to Old Taylor Distillery: Becoming Castle and Key (Part 1)

Castle and Key Distillery, Woodford County
My husband and I took the "restoration experience tour" yesterday and loved it!  

The transformation of the Old Taylor Distillery into Castle and Key is quite remarkable.  We noted a careful,
thoughtful renovation with a sharp eye for detail and respect for the past.

Part of the tour shows visitors the process of making bourbon.

The grain and other ingredients are mixed together in huge vats.

Here's a batch that is heating up and bubbling with the yeast added.

Remnants of the stoves once used to heat the bourbon are being preserved  and can be seen as you
enter the gift shop.

The gift shop.  The shelves are made of reclaimed wood from the property.

The ceiling above the gift shop allows lots of natural light to enter the building.

My next blog post will show you more photos of this massive restoration project, including shots of some the beautiful outdoor spaces. In the meantime, visit the Castle and Key website for more about this exciting endeavor and for information about taking the tour yourself.  I highly recommend it!

Revisiting Old Taylor Distillery One Year Later

Old Taylor Distillery, Woodford County

Much of what I saw this past weekend at Old Taylor was the same as it was a year ago.

The beautiful stone walls are still intact.

The vines, whose fall color is so striking against the gray stone, still cling to the empty buildings and are even
more numerous than they were last year.

Beautifully aged and rusty, the iron entrance gate and fences remain.  

Barbed wire entwined with old vines on this length of fence seemed to have been collected and moved from
the surrounding walkways.

I photographed this same window last October.  It was broken and vine-covered
then, too, but the vines are more numerous and invasive this year.

The big change I noticed from the road was the landscaping.  Ground has been cleared and new shrubs and trees
have been planted.  An old fountain has been cleaned and looks ready for spring.

A row of arborvitae now line part of the property beside McCracken Pike.

* A big thanks to my friend, Rosalie, for suggesting I return to Old Taylor to see the changes.

Old Taylor Distillery

Old Taylor Distillery, McCracken Pike, Woodford County
By the way, it's for sale!