O.Z. Tyler, as with many spots on the Trail, is both new and old, tracing its bourbon's lineage back many generations but also acknowledging that the distillery itself, the current production, has only been in place a couple of years.
The public-facing area - the gift shop, the starting point for tours, etc. - was recessed back a ways into the complex, necessitating several signs to guide me into the right spot:
Once the tour group had all arrived, we set off, seeing first the open-air building where the still and fermentation tanks are kept:
Then, we headed over to one of the rickhouses to see the barrels:
Those eyeball-looking barrels were actually barreled during the 2017 eclipse, and the paintings show the position of the sun at the moment of their barreling. Neat!
We then went to the building where they house their proprietary sonic-wave technology, which they use essentially as a filter for their bourbon. Sadly, there are no photos allowed in this part of the tour.
Then, of course, we finished off with a tasting:
Our guide, Karen, is behind the bar in the upper right. She did an excellent job corralling us and projecting over the noisiness of the still and fermentation building.
A few more shots as I was leaving:
The tour was fun, and very different from my experience giving tours in a downtown Louisville environment. Having all of these large buildings spread out and having to kind of journey between each one was great. However, I have to say, I was underwhelmed by the actual product. They only age their bourbon one year, far below the industry standard of four, which they say is mitigated by their sonic-wave filtration process, but I can't agree. Everything I drank tasted and smelled like the young whiskey it was.
I also took the time to see some of Owensboro itself, though it was too late in the day to do any museums or things like that. Luckily, there is a beautiful riverfront:
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