Kentucky Distillers’ Association Welcomes Kentucky Mountain Moonshine Distillery as Craft Member

For Immediate Release – November 4, 2021

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Distillers’ Association today announced that Kentucky Mountain Moonshine Distillery in Estill County is the newest and 51st member of the nonprofit trade group that unites and leads Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry.

Founded in 2016, Distiller Howard Arvin launched the brand as a way to distill and bottle his own brand of moonshine. A dentist of 30 years, Arvin decided to take his interest in chemistry to craft his sweet but complex beverages.

Located at 465 Cow Creek Road in Ravenna, the distillery is nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains near the Red River Gorge region. With its proximity to the Gorge, the facility hosts many visitors from the state’s famed attraction.

The facility features two distilling systems and a tasting room complete with signature cocktails for guests. Kentucky Mountain Moonshine is made with 100 percent locally grown corn and ingredients from the surrounding community. 

“We are so glad to join the KDA, which, along with the members, have been so supportive over the years,” Arvin said. “We appreciate the camaraderie and look forward to growing our business alongside these distinguished Kentucky distillers.”

Current products include 80 proof Kentucky Mountain Clear Moonshine, Kentucky Mountain Smokey Apple Pie Moonshine and Kentucky Mountain Smokey Cranberry Moonshine. 

“Kentucky Mountain Moonshine embodies the entrepreneurial spirit we see so often in craft distilleries,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “We appreciate the hard work Howard and his team have invested in our iconic industry and proudly welcome them to our growing family of Kentucky’s finest distillers.”

Learn more at www.kentucky mountain moonshine.com.  

Kentucky Mountain Moonshine is the KDA’s 31st Craft-level member, aging less than 10,000 barrels a year.

The 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 industries, a thriving $8.6 billion economic and tourism engine that generates more than 20,100 jobs with an annual payroll topping $1 billion each year, and accounts for over $300 million in local and state taxes and $1.8 billion in federal alcohol taxes.

A key export, the iconic industry is currently in the middle of a $5.1 billion building boom, from innovative new tourism experiences to expanded production facilities, bottling centers and aging warehouses, all to meet the growing global thirst for Kentucky Bourbon. 

Bourbon production has skyrocketed more than 430% since the turn of the century. 

Kentucky now boasts more than 10.3 million barrels of Bourbon aging in warehouses across the Bluegrass, the most in its revered distilling history. Distillers filled more than 2.4 million barrels last year alone, the third year in a row that production topped the two million mark. 

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 tours in 1999 and 2012, respectively. 

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

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For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Eric Gregory at [email protected].

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association that passionately unites, promotes, protects and elevates the Commonwealth’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry. 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. 

KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL^®, KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL CRAFT TOUR^®, KENTUCKY BOURBON AFFAIR™, KBT^®, BOURBON TRAIL™, KENTUCKY BOURBON HALL OF FAME^®, ORDER OF THE WRIT^®, KENTUCKY BOURBON TALES^®, KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL WELCOME CENTER^®, URBAN BOURBON TRAIL^® and THE PROOF IS HERE^® are trademarks/service marks of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. 

Please enjoy Bourbon like a true Kentuckian – Responsibly