The Story

Whiskey Row Bourbon was created by Steve Thompson at Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood, Kentucky. The name comes from Louisville's Whiskey Row — the stretch of Main Street that became the trading centre of American whiskey from around 1850 until Prohibition. In that period, distillers and merchants from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia all funnelled their spirit through Whiskey Row warehouses for sale onward to the rest of the country.

The brand was built to honour that pre-Prohibition era — the style of bourbon made before legislative consolidation and large-scale industrial distilling reshaped the category. That era produced bourbons that were typically more robust, heavier on the grain bill and bottled at higher proofs, with traditional methods like copper pot stills and Bottled-in-Bond designations still standard practice.

Kentucky Artisan Distillery is the modern stage for that history. Whiskey Row's expressions read as deliberate reconstructions of those older styles — locally grown grains, copper pot distillation on the Bottled-in-Bond expression, and finishes that draw from European cask traditions. 3Two1 Drinks distributes Whiskey Row across Australia.

What Makes It Different

Whiskey Row is positioned in the pre-Prohibition style — a deliberate counterweight to the cleaner, sweeter, mass-market bourbon profile that dominated post-Prohibition production. The line is built around different ageing and cask treatments rather than mash-bill gimmicks, giving bartenders a small but distinct toolkit across one brand family.

The Bottled-in-Bond expression is the truest statement of intent — locally grown corn, wheat and rye, distilled on a copper pot still, bottled at 110 proof under the Bottled-in-Bond Act. That designation is a regulatory promise: product of a single distillery, single season, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, bottled at exactly 100 proof under government supervision. It is the oldest consumer protection standard in American spirits.

The Triple Wood expression goes the other direction — laid down first in new American white oak, then moved into Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, and finally into cognac casks. The result is a layered bourbon that drinks closer to a fine cognac in profile, but with the corn-driven sweetness still in the bones. Double Oaked, 1855 Reserve and Cask Strength expressions complete the range.

The Range

How Bartenders Use It

Old Fashioned

Whiskey Row 1855 Reserve, demerara sugar, two dashes Angostura, orange peel. Stir long, big rock. A bourbon Old Fashioned that reads pre-Prohibition out of habit.

Boulevardier

Whiskey Row Double Oaked, Campari, sweet vermouth. Stirred. The second-oak vanilla rounds the Campari edge.

Manhattan

Whiskey Row Bottled-in-Bond, sweet vermouth, two dashes Angostura. The 110 proof carries through the dilution without losing structure.

Sipping Pour

Whiskey Row Triple Wood, neat or with a single large cube. PX and cognac casks at the finish — built for after dinner.

Frequently Asked Questions