Long before Bourbon became synonymous with Bardstown and Frankfort, Lawrenceburg was home to a network of distillers whose names helped shape the industry itself. Families like the Ripys, Hawkins, Bonds, McBrayers, and Dowlings built businesses, mentored one another, and left a legacy that still echoes across Kentucky whiskey today. In this episode, Drew Hannush talks with filmmaker Bo Cumberland and Stone Fences Tours co-founder Jerry Daniels about their new documentary, Spirits of Lawrenceburg: A Bourbon Legacy Forged Through Time, and why one of Bourbon's most influential communities deserves to be remembered.
In This Episode
ā¢ Why Lawrenceburg became one of the cradles of Bourbon
ā¢ The forgotten names behind familiar brands
ā¢ Old Joe Peyton and the rise of Old Joe Distillery
ā¢ How distilling families became intertwined
ā¢ Why the Ripys reached far beyond Wild Turkey
ā¢ Lost distilleries hidden beneath modern landscapes
ā¢ Oral tradition and the challenge of preserving history
ā¢ How a documentary brings vanished places back to life
ā¢ Why Lawrenceburg still matters to Bourbon today
Find show notes and transcripts at whiskeylore.org/interviews