With over 200 years of history in crafting bourbon whiskey, Lawrenceburg, Indiana stands tall as one of the most significant bourbon hubs in America. Located along the banks of the Great Miami River in Dearborn County, this southeast Indiana town has been distilling exceptional bourbon since the early 1800s. For any bourbon lover or whiskey enthusiast, Lawrenceburg provides an unparalleled destination to explore the origins and production of some of the most popular bourbons today. Let‘s dive into what makes this small town such a titan of bourbon.
A Historical Hub of Bourbon Distilling
The first commercial bourbon distillery opened in Lawrenceburg in 1847, founded by Canadian entrepreneur Joseph Seagram. Utilizing the abundant corn crops and limestone-filtered water nearby, Seagram set the course for bourbongreatness in Lawrenceburg. By 1909, Seagram‘s distillery had become the largest in the entire world.
In the decades that followed, Lawrenceburg blossomed into a distilling epicenter. Over 30 distilleries pumped out whiskey along the banks of the Great Miami River before Prohibition halted production in 1920. After the ban on alcohol ended in 1933, a few distilleries rose from the ashes – Seagram‘s, Greendale Distillers and Medley Distilling Company. Seagram‘s continued expanding their operations with additional rickhouses for aging bourbon.
In 1965, the Indiana Distillers plant was constructed to consolidate production. This distillery changed hands over the years, eventually becoming LDI (Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana). After a 2004 merger with food ingredients giant MGP, the distillery transformed into MGP Indiana – now the largest spirits producer in Lawrenceburg.
Other distilleries like the Wild Buck Distillery have recently emerged, enticed by Lawrenceburg‘s suitability for distilling. The seven distilleries now crafting bourbon in this small Indiana town uphold its reputation as a top bourbon destination.
Current Lawrenceburg Distilleries
Lawrenceburg is home to a booming bourbon trail, with 7 active distilleries operating in the area. Here‘s a comprehensive overview:
MGP Indiana
The powerhouse MGP Indiana facility opened in 2008 after extensive expansions. With an incredible capacity of 120 million gallons of spirits per year, it‘s one of the largest distilleries in the world. MGP distills an enormous amount of bourbon and rye whiskey for prominent brands like Bulleit, George Remus, Old Forester, and many others. They also release highly-regarded limited edition whiskies under Remus and Rossville Union labels.
Key Facts:
- Produces over 20 million 9-liter cases per year
- Sources corn and grain from over 200 local farmers
- Employs over 75 distillers, scientists, and staff
Wild Buck Distillery
Founded in 2018 by local businessman Zack Barnes, Wild Buck Distillery focuses on crafting micro-batch bourbons with rigorous attention to details. They source corn and grains from regional farms and use a proprietary yeast strain for maximum flavor. Uniquely, Wild Buck mills their grains on-site with a traditional hammer mill. Their flagship Buck Bourbon honors the family‘s history of deer hunting.
Fun Fact: Wild Buck ages some barrels at the peak of a warehouse rick to maximizeProof variance between barrels for blending.
Stoney Creek Distillery
The Thompson family founded Stoney Creek Distillery in 2017 on their 200-acre Dearborn County farm. Their spirits lineup includes bourbon, vodka, moonshine, and whiskey liqueurs made from regional grains and ingredients. Uniquely, Stoney Creek selects oak barrel staves from sustainably-harvested Minnesota forests to age their whiskeys.
Cool Stat: Stoney Creek‘s two 240-gallon stills Hammer and Tong allow for creative small-batch distilling.
Tin Star Distilling
Opening in 2021, Tin Star crafts bourbon, rum, and vodka on-site in a modern Lawrenceburg distillery. Their spirits are distilled using water from an artesian spring located beneath the distillery. Tin Star‘s Westex Straight Bourbon honors the history of Old West saloons where bourbons flowed freely. Owner David Dangler brings years of distilling expertise to his Tin Star whiskey operation.
Lambs Hill Spirits
The newest addition to Lawrenceburg‘s distilling scene is Lambs Hill Spirits, founded by the Hereth family and opened in 2022. Their family farmstead provides corn and grain for spirits like Hard Tack Bourbon, Hoosier Hooch moonshine, and Screech Owl vodka. Lambs Hill bourbon is double-distilled for smoothness.
Seidenfaden‘s Distillery
Located in Lawrenceburg‘s historic district, Seidenfaden‘s crafts bourbon and rye by recreating pre-Prohibition recipes and techniques. Their 1897 Bourbon uses 100% local corn, while the rye mashbill is 65% rye. With a 60-gallon still, Seidenfaden‘s attention to heritage and tradition has produced award-winning small-batch whiskeys.
Smooth Ambler
While their distilling takes place in West Virginia, Smooth Ambler ages and bottles Yearling, Old Scout, and other bourbon/rye expressions at their Lawrenceburg facility. The barrel-aged whiskies then become a unique bottled-in-bond Smooth Ambler product.
Why Lawrenceburg Bourbon is So Special
Beyond just having a critical mass of distilleries, Lawrenceburg possesses inherent advantages that make it a bourbon paradise:
Local Grains – The rich soil in this farming region provides abundant corn, rye, wheat and malted barley – the essential grains for quality bourbon. MGP sources grains from over 200 Indiana and Kentucky family farms.
Limestone Water – The local aquifer water filtered through limestone imparts vital minerals and the perfect pH for distilling and aging bourbon. It‘s the same limestone-filtered water that makes Kentucky bourbon so renowned.
Knowledgeable Craftspeople – Generations of expertise in distilling and cooperage have been passed down. MGP alone employs over 75 skilled scientists, distillers and engineers.
Maturation Conditions – The climate in Lawrenceburg allows for excellent maturation compared to other regions. Warehouses don‘t face extreme weather shifts that can compromise the bourbon‘s development.
Combined with dedication to craft and innovative production technology, these factors make Lawrenceburg the ideal place to produce bourbon whiskey.
Popular Bourbon Brands from Lawrenceburg
While Lawrenceburg may fly under the radar outside bourbon circles, almost everyone has tasted its whiskey. Numerous major bourbon brands source their distillate from Lawrenceburg:
Bulleit Bourbon
This small-batch bourbon brand sources all their whiskey from MGP Indiana. Bulleit then ages and bottles the distillate at their Kentucky facilities. With a high rye content, it possesses a spicy boldness that‘s become a bourbon staple.
High West Whiskey
Multiple popular High West bourbons and ryes get their start with MGP whiskey, including the Bourye, Double Rye! and Prairie Bourbon expressions. High West then crafts unique blends in Utah.
Templeton Rye
This ‘Prohibition-era‘ style rye is made entirely by MGP Indiana, despite Templeton‘s Iowa branding. It‘s distilled with a 95% rye mash bill and praised for its bold spiciness.
Redemption Whiskey
The craft whiskey brand sources distillate from MGP Indiana for their award-winning bourbons and ryes. Master blender Dave Carpenter then oversees careful aging and blending.
Smoke Wagon
This small-batch powerhouse bourbon comes straight from the stills at MGP Indiana. Uncut and unfiltered, it‘s bottled for James E. Pepper Distillery in Kentucky.
Old Grand-Dad
Every drop of the classic Jim Beam bourbon brand is distilled by MGP Indiana. Beam then handles aging in Kentucky before bottling.
Ezra Brooks
Lux Row Distillers uses 7-year MGP bourbon distillate to create their affordable, top-selling Ezra Brooks bourbon brand. It‘s a quality whiskey at a value price point.
Cooper‘s Craft Bourbon
The popular budget-friendly Cooper‘s Craft expression sources whiskey distilled at MGP Indiana. It‘s proof that Lawrenceburg distillate can appeal to bourbon lovers at any price point.
Special and Limited Release Bottlings
Beyond contract distilling, Lawrenceburg distilleries create highly-sought limited and special release bourbons. These are pinnacles of the Lawrenceburg bourbon craft:
George Remus Straight Bourbon Series
MGP‘s upmarket Remus line has become an icon of Lawrenceburg bourbon. The limited yearly batches feature carefully selected barrels aged over 4 years. Remus IV and Remus V earned 97 and 96 points respectively from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. According to MGP Master Distiller Greg Metze, "George Remus Bourbons represent the very best from Lawrenceburg."
Rossville Union Master Collection
Under their experimental Rossville Union brand, MGP pushes boundaries with unique finished bourbons and malted rye recipes. Recent releases include toasted French oak-finished rye and a madeira-cask bourbon. According to Metze, "We‘re creating some of our most unique and finely crafted whiskeys ever."
Wild Buck Wheater Batch #1
Wild Buck Distillery introduced itself with this limited edition wheated bourbon made from local Indiana corn and wheat. Uniquely, a portion of the barrels were aged at the very top of the distillery‘s rickhouse to maximize variation. Master Distiller Zack Barnes describes it as "an outstanding sipping bourbon."
Remus V Straight Bourbon
As part of MGP‘s George Remus series, this 100-proof straight bourbon was aged for 5 years before its 2021 release. Only 334 bottles exist of this exquisite Lawrenceburg bourbon that earned Best In Class honours at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Sherry Cask Bourbon
For this 2020 limited edition, Heaven Hill and MGP collaboratively finished bourbon blends in rare Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. The result earned Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Awards.
Get a Taste of Lawrenceburg
Many Lawrenceburg distilleries offer behind-the-scenes tours where you can witness firsthand how bourbon gets made.
Tours of MGP Indiana provide an in-depth look at the entire bourbon-making process. Visitors get to walk through the massive distillery – a special treat since MGP whiskey goes into so many brands‘ bottles.
Wild Buck Distillery provides a cozy, personalized tour experience. You can interact directly with staff and see how this small-batch operation crafts their wheated bourbon.
At Stoney Creek Distillery you‘ll gain appreciation for a true "grain to glass" farm distillery as you stroll the grounds and sample spirits.
Several restaurants in Lawrenceburg also showcase local bourbons. Brew & Bourbon is a popular Main Street pub with 50+ bourbons on the menu and live music. Or enjoy a bourbon barrel-aged pizza at Bourbon Barrel Pizza.
The city also hosts regular festivals like Art on the Levee where you can find Lawrenceburg spirits samplings. And nearby Dearborn County offers plenty of distilleries and attractions to round out any bourbon-focused itinerary.
Based on the intimacy of the experience and authenticity, I‘d rank Wild Buck Distillery as the #1 tour in Lawrenceburg, followed by MGP Indiana. Stoney Creek‘s beautiful farmland setting also provides a great option.
No matter your specific bourbon tastes – bold spiciness, smooth sweetness, or something experimental – Lawrenceburg has a dram for you. This southeast Indiana town has certainly earned its place in the bourbon pantheon. For whiskey lovers, it‘s a must-visit destination.
