Castle & Key Distillery

Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. built more than a distillery when he established Old Taylor in 1887. He created a European-inspired castle complex in Millville, Kentucky, complete with a keyhole-shaped springhouse and sunken gardens, pioneering bourbon tourism before anyone called it that. After a century of abandonment following Prohibition, Will Arvin and Wes Murry found the ruins and spent years restoring Taylor's vision into today's Castle & Key Distillery.

History & Heritage

Taylor's original distillery operated until Prohibition shuttered it in 1920, leaving the ornate limestone structures to decay for nearly a century. When Arvin discovered photographs of the abandoned site in 2012, he and partner Wes Murry purchased the property two years later. Their meticulous restoration integrated original distillery components with modern equipment, officially reopening in September 2018 as Castle & Key, named for the castle and the vital keyhole-shaped spring.

The Whiskey

The distillery follows a grain-to-glass approach using local corn from partners like Walnut Grove Farms and water from their limestone-rich spring. Their Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon, first released in March 2022, earned Double Gold at the New York International Spirits Competition and 95 points from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. The Restoration Rye Whiskey, their inaugural aged spirit from December 2020, represents their commitment to complexity over consistency. Expressions age in four distinct warehouses, including historic structures that contribute varied flavor development.

Why It Matters

Castle & Key proves that bourbon's future can honor its past without being trapped by it. Their transparent production methods and stunning restored setting demonstrate how craft distilling can elevate both spirit and experience. The limestone spring water and historic warehouses create a terroir that distinguishes their expressions from typical Kentucky offerings, earning them recognition as both preservationists and innovators in American whiskey.