Those of you that have journeyed up I-65 into our northern neighbor know that the area around Louisville is famous for their bourbon. Forecastle Festival embraces that culture with an onsite “Bourbon Lodge” that features some of the areas finest corn-derived spirits. At last year’s festival, we were excited to be greeted upon one visit to the Lodge by a smiling Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes) pouring our drink at one point during the evening, but this year, Forecastle is kicking that up a notch.
Read below for all the details of this year’s bourbon lodge, and, if you haven’t already, go ahead and snag your tickets to what may be the most impressive festival lineup in the country this summer.
The Bourbon Lodge will feature a diverse collection of Kentucky bourbon brands uniting to offer dozens of Bourbon selections, including those from Maker’s Mark, Heaven Hill, Woodford Reserve, Michter’s, Four Roses, Town Branch, Wild Turkey, Jim Beam and more. What’s more the festival will also give nod to Louisville native Hunter S. Thompson with a new, Gonzo-inspired bourbon bar.
New this year, the festival will introduce the Bourbon Cares program, a unique partnership between several bourbon brands and Forecastle bands, featuring special single-barrel selections, available only in the Forecastle Bourbon Lodge. Members of Spoon will hand-select a barrel from Four Roses Bourbon, JJ Grey & Mofro from Heaven Hill, and Spanish Gold from Woodford Reserve.
Louisville chefs Adam Burress and Chase Mucerino have created local hot spots including award-winning barbecue at Hammerheads, wild game burgers at Game, and their newest rotisserie-focused creation, Loop 22. They’ll bring their culinary expertise to an exclusive, pop-up restaurant in the Forecastle Bourbon Lodge. The original menu will be available only inside the Bourbon Lodge, and will feature bourbon-infused Southern classics, including bourbon barrel smoked meats.
Bourbon Lodge activities will include Fireside Chats offering an intimate, living-room setting for bourbon education. Festival-goers will have the chance to chat with master distillers and bourbon experts on everything from the spirit’s unique Kentucky history and attributes, to the distillation process and more.
Needless to say, if you are a bourbon AND music snob, there is no place on earth you would rather be from July 18th-20th than the Forecastle Festival.