Sarah Brookbank

sbrookbank@enquirer.com

It's a well-known fact that a number of bourbon barrels in Kentucky is greater than a number of people living in the Bluegrass State.

There are 2 million more barrels of bourbon than there are people in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, according to a study by the Kentucky Distillers' Association. So much for that dreaded bourbon shortage everyone was talking about two years ago.

University of Louisville’s Urban Studies Institute conducted the study that counted 6.7 million barrels of aging Bourbon, ready to be bottled. Kentucky's population is only 4.4 million, according to 2016 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The study examined the impact of the bourbon industry that is made up of more than 50 distilleries across Kentucky. Right now, the industry is in the middle of a $1.2 billion building boom, according to the study, and contributes more than $8.5 billion to Kentucky’s economy. In 2016, more than 1 million stops were made on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour according to KDA.

To accommodate more bourbon drinking, KDA recently added a 10th stop on the journey through the Bluegrass state. Angel’s Envy Distillery in Louisville is the newest member. It recently opened a $27 million facility on Whiskey Row.

“We take great pride in Angel’s Envy and our city’s rich Bourbon heritage. Adding Angel’s Envy will only strengthen Louisville’s place as the Official Gateway to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with four world-class distilleries – and more to come," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said.

If Louisville or Lexington are too far to try Kentucky's favorite spirit, Northern Kentucky is home to two stops on the Kentucky Craft Bourbon Trail. New Riff Distillery in Newport is just blocks from the Levee and a hop across the river from Cincinnati while Boone County Distilling Company in Boone County keeps its historic roots alive in a developing industrial area.

Boone County bourbons win big in national contest

“It’s a huge honor to be alongside the best spirits producers in the world,” Co-Founder of Angel’s Envy and Chief Innovation Officer Wes Henderson said. “This is a group of people that I’ve admired since my childhood. To be an even bigger part of the history and heritage of Kentucky Bourbon is something I take a great deal of pride in."

Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau's Karen Williams said Angel’s Envy is one of the brands that recognized the potential for an "Urban Bourbon" experience. While most distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail are nestled in the rolling hills of Kentucky Angel's Envy is one of the few city-centric locations, joining Evan Williams in Louisville and Town Branch in Lexington.

New Riff' 'whiskey campus' planned in Newport