Regeneration Distilling Co.

“Heaven must be a Kentucky kind of place.” – Daniel Boone

Last week I promised that the next topic would be Buffalo Trace Distillery. That’s a huge topic which, honestly, I’m not looking forward to doing. Tons of research. Probably multiple columns. Wading through what to include and what not to include. There’s a ton of history there. Dealing with the whole Pappy Van Winkle “thing”. Ugh!

Instead, I’m going to do what I do best: procrastinate. Besides, I’ve been pretty rough on the big distilleries, and Buffalo Trace is going to be no different. So, let’s have a little, delightful, palate cleanser.

It doesn’t get more delightful than tiny Regeneration Distilling in Winchester, Ky. We travel to Red River Gorge in Kentucky at least two or three times a year. It’s a beautiful place, and if this were a travel column, I’d rave on about it right here and now (perhaps in the future). On the way to The Gorge, about 20 to 30 miles southeast of Lexington, is the quaint little town of Winchester. It is there that I discovered one of my favorite whiskies.

Several years ago, we came across a great little place in Winchester named Wildcat Willies. It was a restaurant and small distillery. I’m going to get nostalgic and emotional for a moment because, alas, the restaurant is now gone. Very sad (tear running down my cheek). It had amazing food. And the “Wildcat Willies” name is also history.

As an aside, I love food even more than I love booze. It’s always sad and somewhat frustrating to me when a great food spot goes out of business. Sorry, I digress. Today, Beech Springs Table restaurant operates in the front of the distillery building. I have not had the opportunity to dine there yet. It will be a definite stop on our next trip down there.

All is not lost! The same folks who owned this fine little establishment rebranded under the name of Regeneration Distilling. It’s located in the same historical, nicely refurbished, factory building and also in a very nice storefront, called “The Mercantile” on Main Street in Winchester. Regeneration is a special place on its own.

Another aside: This is Daniel Boone country. The Mount Folly Farm, where Regeneration gets most of its raw materials, is land once owned by the famous frontiersman. This only adds to the heritage of the distillery and its products. Pretty cool!

They only make three products at Regeneration: Sweet Potato Moonshine (which is pretty good stuff), Cinnamon Whiskey (which I haven’t tried), and the topic of this article, Boone’s Settlement Wheated Rye. All of them are farm-to-table and made from local ingredients. All are also only available in Kentucky. Road trip time!

The Rye is wonderful! So much so that it easily places within my top 10 favorite whiskies. What makes it so good, and unusual, is that it is aged for three years in local farm tobacco barns. You can taste the tobacco.

It’s not a smokey, licking-an-ashtray-taste like you can get with some Scotches. It’s more like delicate notes of something a little different. Like the richness of pre-smoked tobacco. Imagine a whiskey that has a pleasant hint of pre-smoked fine cigar flavor.

Yet, that’s not all. Add to this the unique tastes of the rye spices and the caramel sweetness of a fine bourbon, and you get a truly complex, thoroughly enjoyable, dram. Seriously – this is one that graces my Glencairn quite often. The only possible way that it could be better is if they made it barrel proof – in the 120s range. Right now, it’s bottled at 95 proof. On the other hand, who knows what that would do to the flavor and complexity of this unique whiskey. So, nevermind. Why mess with perfection?

If you ever find yourself in the wilds of Eastern Kentucky, do yourself a favor and check out Regeneration Distilling and Boone’s Settlement Rye. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, my bottle is getting low – time to revisit. I’m going to start planning a trip there right now.

Until next time – cheers!

Jon Smyrnis is a lifelong Indianapolis area resident. He enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking, dining out, and, of course, fine cocktails and great bourbons.