LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Visitors to Louisville’s newest distillery raised glasses Wednesday to toast the opening of Angel’s Envy in a high-profile downtown location. Tourism officials are celebrating yet another sign of bourbon’s momentum in a city riding a wave of whiskey-inspired tourism.
Production of the super-premium brand is part of the industry’s revival in downtown Louisville, where distilleries are being built along old Whiskey Row and bourbon’s roots there date to the late 1700s.
The Angel’s Envy distillery, in a century-old building that underwent massive renovations, is across the street from the city’s minor-league baseball stadium, near Interstate 65. The prominent location should help build recognition for a brand created by a father-and-son team.
“You come across the bridge from Indiana on I-65, you see our building,” said brand co-founder Wes Henderson.
Henderson’s father, renowned master distiller Lincoln Henderson, came out of retirement to help develop Angel’s Envy. Lincoln Henderson, who helped create the Woodford Reserve brand for Brown-Forman Corp., died in 2013.