A booming bourbon industry has Kentucky leaders toasting record growth

By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Fifteen years ago, bourbon barons poured whiskey out on the Kentucky Capitol steps to protest a looming tax increase on the spirits industry. On Tuesday, industry leaders reassembled at the statehouse to toast the bourbon sector’s record-setting growth, Kentucky’s bourbon industry pumps $9 billion into the Bluegrass State’s economy, creating more jobs and attracting more tourists than ever before. That’s according to a report released Tuesday by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. All told, the report shows the industry generated $358 million in state and local taxes alone last year as Kentucky distillers produced 95% of the global bourbon supply.