Green River Distilling

On the banks of the Green River in Owensboro, Kentucky, a distillery that traces its roots to 1885 is once again turning local grain into whiskey on the same ground where J.W. McCulloch first registered it as DSP-KY-10. Green River Distilling Co. calls itself the 10th oldest registered distillery in Kentucky, and after a fire, a sale, and decades of dormancy, its whiskey is again distilled, aged, and bottled onsite.

History & Heritage

McCulloch founded Green River Distillery at Owensboro in 1885. A 1918 fire destroyed the original distillery and more than 40,000 barrels of aging whiskey, according to Green River's own timeline. The site was rebuilt after Prohibition, and the Green River brand changed hands. The distillery sat dormant for decades until Terressentia Corporation purchased the property in 2014 and began a renovation that preserved as much of the original facility as possible. New barrels went down in 2016, and the site returned to the Green River Distilling Co. name in 2020, releasing Green River Bourbon again in 2022. Bardstown Bourbon Company purchased Green River Distilling Co. that same year. In 2025, Bardstown Bourbon Company's owner, Pritzker Private Capital, established Lofted Spirits as a parent company uniting Bardstown Bourbon Company and Green River Distilling Co. Green River Distilling Co. is owned, as of July 2026, by Lofted Spirits, backed by Pritzker Private Capital. In early 2026, Lofted Spirits scaled back certain production activities and reduced some production roles amid a broader market correction in American whiskey. Aaron Harris, who had served as Head Distiller, left the company during that period; Director of Operations David Carroll now oversees distillation and aging onsite in Owensboro.

The Whiskey

Green River distills, ages, and bottles every release at its Owensboro facility from Kentucky-grown grain, aging it in the property's older tile warehouses. Green River Straight Bourbon, the flagship, is 90 proof from a mash bill of 70% Kentucky-grown corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. Green River Wheated Bourbon swaps in wheat for the same 70% corn base with 21% wheat and 9% malted barley, also bottled at 90 proof. Green River Rye Whiskey runs 95 proof from a 95% rye, 5% malted barley mash bill. Green River Bourbon Full Proof uses the same rye-forward 70/21/9 bourbon recipe as the flagship, hand-blended from select barrels and bottled without cutting to standard proof at 117.3 proof. The Green River U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Special Release Bourbon, an officially licensed collaboration with the U.S. Army, is a small batch of hand-selected barrels aged 4 to 7 years from a mash bill of 75% Kentucky-grown corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley, bottled at 111.1 proof. Limited tasting-room releases include Distillery Select: Toasted Double Oak, an 8-year bourbon finished six additional months in new American toasted oak and bottled at 115.1 proof.

Why It Matters

Green River's whiskey is winning on the strength of what comes off the still, not just the story behind it. Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon was named Best Bourbon in the World at the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition, and Green River Wheated Bourbon took Best in Class at the same event. At the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Distillery Select: Toasted Double Oak won Double Gold, while Green River Honey Finished Bourbon and Green River Wheated Full Proof each won Gold. For those who appreciate good whiskey and want a Kentucky distillery with a 19th-century pedigree and a fully rebuilt, fully onsite production process, Green River is a straightforward story: local grain, one location, real age statements, and a growing medal case.

Visiting the Distillery

Green River offers guided tours at its Owensboro distillery Wednesday through Saturday at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM, with reservations recommended. Tours cost $22, run about 60 minutes, cover grain unloading through fermentation, distillation, barrel aging, and dumping, and include three whiskey samples and a take-home Glencairn glass. The visitor experience also includes VIP tastings, cocktail classes, private rentals, and a retail shop. Green River also operates a tasting room at 714 West Main Street on Whiskey Row in Louisville, Kentucky, which opened in June 2025.