From bourbon to Airbnb, discover all that Castle & Key has to offer 

In 1887, Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. built a new kind of distillery destination in Millville, Kentucky. Inspired by European architecture, the site featured a castle, a classical springhouse, and a sunken garden. What he built became the birthplace of bourbon hospitality and tourism.  

Prohibition forced the closing of the distillery in 1920. Over the next century, the property changed owners and occupants several times, eventually falling into ruin. In 2012, Will Arvin saw photographs of the abandoned distillery and couldn’t stop thinking about its legacy and potential.   

He decided to visit the property and despite its disarray, felt an affinity for the site. It was then that he resolved to restore the historic bourbon icon. In 2014, the Castle & Key team purchased the Old Taylor Distillery and got to work, building a consortium of like-minded people, often from outside the industry, who shared this vision to restore.    

Following its restoration, after much deliberation, the name Castle & Key was chosen to reflect the historic distillery and the importance of both the grounds and the keyhole-shaped springhouse water source.  

Over the following years, the team conquered multiple milestones, including the release of the first Castle & Key clear spirits in April 2018, the grand opening of the distillery in September 2018, and the release of Restoration Rye, Castle & Key’s first aged spirit in December 2020.  

In March 2022, Castle & Key Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey became the first bourbon distillate that has been distilled and released at the historic Old Taylor Distillery in nearly five decades.  

Today, the company prides itself on excellence, sourcing local ingredients to inspire its products. Everything is made from carefully selected grains, and the team chooses to operate in a thoughtful way, which isn’t always the easy way. Castle & Key is reimagining how Kentucky spirits are presented to the world.  

“It would have been much easier to build a new distillery,” shares Brittany Rodgers, Director of Operations, “but we really wanted to focus on authenticity, which is one of our key principles, alongside transparency and honesty. When we first began, we were operating five days a week with a single daily shift. Today, we operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and have grown tremendously. Alongside our distilling, warehousing, and bottling operations, we’re now open to the public and have added hospitality, tours, and events to our offering.”  

Indeed, visitors can explore the historic, beautiful grounds and learn how the team sets the standard of excellence in spirits and hospitality. From the picturesque botanical trail and gardens to the springhouse, the site is steeped in history and boasts a rich heritage. Castle & Key’s one-of-a-kind venue spaces offer unforgettable event experiences.  

“We produce our own products as well as distil for other brands,” Brittany continues. “From brown spirits, such as bourbon, to clear spirits, including vodka and gin, Castle & Key also produces seasonal and experimental product releases.”  

Focus on flavor 

The company is focused on transparency and quality in its spirits production and the team knows the only way to produce spirits to meet this expectation is by doing everything from scratch. This allows for monitoring and control at every step of the process.   

“We use white corn in our distillate, select quality grains and identify and acquire the best corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley available within the industry. We also work closely with local partners, such as Walnut Grove Farms, to grow corn and grains that grant our whiskies a distinct flavor. In terms of our proofing approach, each batch is bottled at the proof that is most ideal for that specific vintage of whiskey,” she shares.  

“Much of how we operate goes back to traditional methodologies,” Brett Connors, Head Blender adds. “While there has been a mass commercialization of the industry, driven largely by economic considerations, we strive to focus on flavor and provenance, as well as partnerships with local farmers to bring back heritage grains. While this approach may not provide the same level of yield reliability as genetically modified grain, it enables us to focus on flavor and produce products that resonate with our consumers. We are constantly striving to improve our product quality.”  

Championing circular economy

Sustainability is woven into every part of Castle & Key’s production process. The company has recently completed phase one of a major solar energy project. This investment is one of the latest steps it’s taking to reduce its environmental impact. The initiative reduces the distillery’s carbon footprint, lowers energy costs, and reinforces the company’s commitment to responsible innovation.   

Alongside the solar energy project, Castle & Key has invested in its own fleet of trucks to reduce mileage and associated emissions. “In 2022,” Brittany continues, “we upgraded some equipment to facilitate sour mashing. In so doing, we’ve been able to save $300,000 annually because we’re not shipping out as much slop, which has not only reduced trucking requirements significantly but also means we’re not using as much citric acid and importantly, water. We’re also working on a slop upgrade. Currently, our slop is collected by a local farmer and taken to farms around Kentucky for cattle feed. We’re working on upgrades that will make that product more viable. We’ll be able to reduce waste, and the product can be used as fertilizer. It’s too thin in its current form to be anything other than feed, but with some upgrades, this nutrient dense product will be a rich, natural fertilizer.”  

“In terms of partnerships,” Brett adds, “we also assess the sustainability credentials of our vendors to ensure their operations align with our own. Finding like-minded vendors pushes us to constantly look at our own sustainability initiatives. We partner with Saverglass whose furnace mix is one of the best in the industry from a recycled material perspective. Partnerships such as this help to reduce waste and promote circular economy principles. We’re also making some adjustments to our bottles to eliminate certain materials, such as exploring alternatives to the current metal neck tag.”  

Continuous improvement culture 

At Castle & Key, bourbon hospitality extends beyond the distillery with the option to stay at one of several thoughtfully restored properties. “We also recently purchased a property just up the hill from our facility,” Brittany adds. “This will be available for use by clients and the public as an Airbnb property and we’ll also be farming the land around it. Alongside that project, we’re also building some palletized warehousing to limit our trucking lines and lower our gas usage. We really strive to multi-purpose our spaces for adaptive reuse. There are always projects in development in our hospitality segment, as our food and beverage team are constantly looking to enhance their offering. Restoration never ends here; there’s always something going on within operations, hospitality and events, and sales.”  

Looking to the future, Castle & Key is set for a busy few years ahead. “We are already in 24 states,” Brett explains. “We’re expanding our bottling line capacity and continuing to provide our clients with high quality service. Our slop solutions, as already highlighted, are advancing. On the sales side, Will wants to expand and grow sales. He is passionate about the export market, and we’re already having conversations with a couple of UK importers and distributors. So, there’s an interest in moving over to Europe in the next five years to expand our sales territories and grow the sales team.   

“We’re always expanding our hospitality programs and lodging opportunities,” Brittany concludes, “making sure that we continue to adjust with the times and come up with ideas that maybe some of our competitors haven’t, so we can continue to be a success and improve our efficiency and effectiveness. Right now, we’re embarking on a program of continuous company-wide improvement alongside continuing to push the boundaries and ensure the quality of our products.”  

www.castleandkey.com