Fire Destroys Historic Buildings at Kentucky’s Old Crow Distillery

A fire at the historic Old Crow Distillery site in Kentucky destroyed three buildings Wednesday, including two brick rickhouses, but Glenns Creek Distilling said its bourbon operations were not affected.

The fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at the former Old Crow Distillery along McCracken Pike on the Woodford County-Franklin County line. No one was injured, according to Glenns Creek Distilling owner David Meier and Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay.

Three structures were lost, Kay said. The buildings were not being used to store bourbon, and no barrels or other production materials were inside, making the fire more manageable for emergency responders.

Two of the destroyed structures were historic brick rickhouses, buildings traditionally used to age bourbon. Images from the scene showed flames shooting from the top of one of the old warehouses.

“In the case of the fire, no one was injured so that is good news. We did not have any barrels or any material stored in the buildings,” Meier said, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Meier said the buildings had become a potential safety hazard because of their condition and posed a risk of collapse.

“The buildings were a bit of a hazard and were in danger of collapse and someone could have been hurt,” he said.

Meier also thanked the emergency responders who came to the property and said Glenns Creek Distilling remained open to visitors.

“We are open for business and visitors because none of our operation was impacted,” he said.

Historic Old Crow Buildings Destroyed

The property was originally developed in the late 1800s as the Old Crow Distillery, a historic Kentucky bourbon brand.

Old Crow stopped producing whiskey in 1987 after the distillery was acquired by Jim Beam. Much of the property later fell into disrepair before Meier purchased the site in 2014 and established Glenns Creek Distilling.

Glenns Creek’s current operations occupy part of the historic property, but the buildings destroyed in the fire were not part of the active production or storage operation, according to the Herald-Leader.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.