Kentucky Distillers’ Association Welcomes Log Still Distillery As Craft Member

For Immediate Release – July 21, 2021

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Distillers’ Association today announced that Log Still Distillery in Nelson County is the newest and 44th member of the nonprofit trade group that unites and leads Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry.

Cousins J.W. “Wally” Dant III, Lynne Dant, and Charles Dant are building Log Still Distillery as an expansive distilling and tourism experience on the site of the former Dant & Head Distillery that had been shut down since 1961.

The name “Log Still” comes from family history, which states that Joseph Washington Dant fashioned a whiskey still from a hollowed-out poplar log in 1836 and began the family’s rich distilling history.

Since then, generations of Dant family members have owned or been part of several Kentucky distilleries, including J.W. Dant, Cold Spring Distillery, Taylor & Williams Yellowstone Distillery, and Dant & Head Distillery.

But as often happens in the distilling industry, the Dant family sold all of its historic distilling interests not long after the end of Prohibition, as many of the subsequent Dant generation joined the armed services. Eventually, Heaven Hill acquired the J.W. Dant brand and Luxco bought Yellowstone, both of whose products are still sold today.

In 2017, Wally Dant decided to shift gears from his successful health care operations and honor his forefathers with Log Still Distillery, which opened its Tasting Room to the public in May at 225 Dee Head Road in Gethsemane, Ky.

The $36 million project will feature a 20,000-square-foot distillery, Tasting Room with a 50-gallon hybrid still, farm-to-table restaurant, a 12-acre lake, an outdoor amphitheater, a 22,000-square-foot event center, four unique lodging options, private train depot, wooded walking trails, and more.

Current products include Monk’s Road Fifth District Series: Cold Spring Distillery, a 6-year-old single barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Monk’s Road Dry Gin, and Monk’s Road Barrel Finished Gin.

Log Still Distillery plans to release a rye whiskey and high rye and wheated Bourbons in the next few years.

“It’s been a dream of mine for years now to get the Dant family back in the Bourbon business, and I’m thankful to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association for helping us make it official,” said Wally Dant, Log Still Distillery president and distiller.

“The work of the KDA is incredibly important to ensuring the preservation of Bourbon’s past and fostering of its future, and we look forward to many years of partnership.”

KDA President Eric Gregory praised the family’s vision in creating an immersive distilling experience that will offer a wide variety of educational and tourism opportunities and bring visitors from around the globe to Kentucky.

“The Dant family is building a stunning destination that is a great example of the future of Kentucky Bourbon tourism,” he said. “Visitors now yearn to relax and savor our iconic Bourbon culture and lifestyle, and Log Still will offer many unique amenities to make that happen.

“The KDA and its members applaud Wally, Lynne, and Charles for their hard work, investment, and inspiration. We proudly welcome them back to our growing family of Kentucky’s finest distillers.”

Learn more at https://www.logstilldistillery.com.

Log Still Distillery is the KDA’s 25th Craft-level member, aging less than 10,000 barrels a year.

Log Still Distillery also is now eligible to join the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour^®.

Founded in 1880, the KDA is the voice for Bourbon and spirits issues. Its diverse membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s Bourbon, from legendary, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are building the next generation of the timeless craft.

Kentucky Bourbon is one of the Commonwealth’s most historic and treasured industries, a thriving $8.6 billion economic engine that generates more than 20,100 jobs with an annual payroll topping $1 billion each year.

In addition, the industry is in the middle of a $2.3 billion building boom, from innovative new tourism centers to expanded production facilities, all to meet the growing global thirst for Kentucky Bourbon.

There are now nearly 10 million barrels of Bourbon and other spirits aging in Kentucky warehouses, the most in the modern era of American Whiskey. Of that, 9.3 million are just Bourbon, the first time since 1967 that the number of Bourbon barrels topped nine million.

Bourbon production has skyrocketed more than 360 percent since the turn of the century, with Kentucky distillers filling 2.1 million barrels in 2019, the second year in a row that Kentucky distillers have filled two million barrels, and the first time that’s happened in the modern era.

Attendance at the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail^® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour^® distilleries has skyrocketed more than 300 percent in the last 10 years. Total attendance in 2019 was nearly two million, the most since KDA founded the tour in 1999.

Visit www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com to learn more.

Finally, Gregory noted that the KDA has worked with state legislators for years to modernize archaic laws and Prohibition-era policies, especially in the tourism arena, which is allowing Log Still and other distilleries to create such impressive and appealing visitor experiences.

“We appreciate the leadership and partnership of the Kentucky General Assembly in helping our distillers achieve their full potential as Napa Valley-type experiences and strengthening our rightful title as the one, true, and authentic home for bourbon,” he said. “The proof is here.”

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For more information, contact: Eric Gregory, KDA President, (502) 875-9351

Founded in 1880, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association is the legendary voice for Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry. Its diverse and growing membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s Bourbon, from historic, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are fostering the next generation of the Commonwealth’s landmark economic engine and its thriving, timeless craft. Member benefits include media relations, international trade development, private sampling events, technical assistance, economic development support, networking, legal defense, marketing strategies, governmental and regulatory advocacy and innovative tourism experiences through the KDA’s world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® adventures. A 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization, the KDA maintains an open membership policy, champions a strong commitment to the responsible and moderate consumption of spirits, and fights to curb underage drinking and drunk driving. Learn more at www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com 

KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL®, KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL CRAFT TOUR®, KENTUCKY BOURBON AFFAIR™, KBT®, BOURBON TRAIL™ and KENTUCKY BOURBON HALL OF FAME® are trademarks/service marks of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Make It Memorable – Enjoy Responsibly