Distilled With Distinction

Cocktail connoisseurs likely equate Kentucky with bourbon—and rightfully so, as its origins in the Southern state date back to the late 18th century. The spirit’s popularity has climbed in recent years, with large corporations and craft distillers releasing products aplenty. One distillery in particular, Castle & Key, has devoted its craft to preserving the history of bourbon and combining modern tastes with centuries-old architecture to design a destination worth raising a glass to. 

Castle & Key, “the birthplace of bourbon hospitality,” boasts a location as steeped in Kentucky history as bourbon itself. Housed on historic grounds in Frankfort, along Kentucky’s famous Bourbon Trail, Castle & Key has transformed the ruins of a 19th-century castle into a modern marvel. 

The beginning of the bourbon boom 

Castle & Key’s history dates back to 1887, when Colonel Edmund H. Taylor Jr. opened the Old Taylor Distillery, explains Jon Newton, director of business development at Castle & Key. 

“It was built to be the culmination of his life’s work—creating the best spirits, fit for royalty, fit to be served in a castle. He designed it with European gardens and a water source in the shape of a keyhole. That was the key to his bourbon and the key to his success—and what laid a great foundation for the future,” he says. 

In fact, Taylor was instrumental in bringing bourbon to glory. He helped pass the Bottle-in-Bond Act of 1897—which introduced higher standards and transparent pricing for bourbon bottled and aged in a single distillery—created the first destination distillery, and launched the start of bourbon tourism. 

The distillery closed in 1920 due to Prohibition. The castle and grounds changed hands several times before falling into disrepair. It wasn’t until 2012, when the current owner, Will Arvin, came across photos of the old distillery, that today’s vision started to take shape.
 

The key to the castle

When Arvin visited the abandoned property, he found caved-in roofs, boarded-up doors and windows, and thickets of overgrown vegetation. Still, despite having no experience in the bourbon business aside from a fondness for the spirit, he felt a connection to the place and saw potential amid the shambles. 

Two years later, in 2014, Arvin and his team purchased the property, and work began to restore it to its original grandeur and revive E.H. Taylor’s mission to create bourbon from scratch. They named their project Castle & Key, a nod to the property’s history and the keyhole-shaped springhouse, the water source that gives the distillery life. With an ambitious goal of opening in 2016, the team realized that restoring a 19th-century castle to modern-day specifications was no minor undertaking. The new distillery opened its doors in September 2018. 

“Still, in keeping with our commitment to crafting everything from scratch, we didn’t sell a drop of bourbon until 2020,” Newton says. “And we released our first batch of Castle & Key Small Batch Bourbon in 2022.” 

Distilling greatness

With many years in the making and more than a century of values to uphold, Castle & Key has a lot of pressure to live up to the potential Taylor saw in the site and the vision Arvin had in mind when he purchased the property. But Newton says that’s what makes him proudest of the work Castle & Key has done thus far in creating a brand that’s unique to today’s world yet still pays homage to its deeply rooted history. 

“We live in a time when consumers are looking for authenticity; that’s what resonates the most,” he says. “Our hospitality at Castle & Key captures the same spirit of hospitality that Colonel Taylor had in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It’s one of, if not the highest-rated, distilleries in Kentucky. That’s the first part of what drives our success.” 

The distillery also produces rye, vodka, and gin. 

“That really sets us apart from other distilleries,” Newton says. 

Wayne Rose, director of marketing at Castle & Key, adds that its people are another factor that makes Castle & Key stand out. Each member of the distillery’s staff is driven by the same dream: to produce a top-quality product with the passion and pride shown by its predecessor. 

“What I love most about Castle & Key is that it is a bunch of really genuine people trying to do something cool and make their mark,” Rose says. “It’s a powerful place—from the history of how it was made back in Colonel Taylor’s time to the story of the boldness of Will Arvin to push through the difficulty of starting a small business in an industry that’s dominated by large corporations. He saw the potential and the challenges and said, ‘I’m going to do it anyway’—that’s a story that resonates with people.”

People make it possible.

Castle & Key’s devotion to the authenticity of the craft and the history of bourbon hospitality also extends to how the company treats its employees. Matt Rueff, senior vice president at Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), which counts Castle & Key among its longstanding clients, has admired the evolution of the business. 

“My history with Castle & Key started years before it even existed,” he recalls. 

“I was winding through some farm roads between Louisville and Lexington, and I came across an amazing property that you could tell had once been spectacular. I learned it was an old distillery, and years later, I read it had been purchased to be restored. I reached out to the owner and asked to meet, just because I was interested in the history of the property,” he says. “Now, professionally, we have handled their employee benefits from their first five team members.” 

Rueff, who has worked with Castle & Key for seven years, says that while the size of the business and the cost of insurance premiums have grown over their time together, owner Arvin has kept the same small-business devotion to his employees that he had from day one.  

“It’s been great to see that Will has been willing to increase his costs and not pass that financial burden onto his employees,” he says. “It is yet another thing that makes Castle & Key the cool place it is.”
 

Limitless potential

Looking ahead, Castle & Key plans to continue restoring the historic grounds and building the brand while not losing sight of its original intent: crafting the finest spirits in a thoughtful way.  

“The idea for destination distilleries started off as Taylor wanting to share this Kentucky dream with those around the world. That’s where we still want to go,” Newton says. 

“Our mission is to be a brand that inspires people around the world through an experience—the place itself, the unique architecture, the heritage that comes from Taylor, and the bold decision to do everything from scratch,” he says. “The more modern story is of Will Arvin, who had to be comfortable not just being content with making one or two barrels a day. He chose to grow and scale and look for that next move to reach people around the world. Where we are today is because of the dream and vision that he had—what we refer to as bold independence. That independence is limitless.”