ELKWOOD HOUSE stands in a clearing at the end of an allée of mature hardwood trees. (Photo by Scott White)
THE HISTORIC ELKWOOD HOUSE, built in 1835, has numerous and unique architectural finishes like the three-story single spiral stairway in the design by the great Kentucky 18th and 19th century architect, Gideon Shryock, who also designed the Old Capitol building in Frankfort (Photo by Scott White)
CURRENT RYES AND BOURBONS from the Midway Distilling Company, a part of Bluegrass Distilling, were displayed at the Friends and Family event held June 7 at the historic Elkwood House built in 1835. (Photo by Scott White)
LONG-TIME SUPPORTERS of the Midway Distilling Company and the historic Elkwood House enjoyed libations made from Midway Distilling Company, hand-rolled cigars and appetizers at the June 7 event. (Photo by Scott White)
With both new and historic bourbon distilleries already creating notable bourbons and ryes in Woodford County, principally in the Millville area of the county, not many folks think of Midway as part of bourbon’s heritage much less a contemporary destination like Woodford Reserve or Castle & Key . . . but, that is about to change.
Bluegrass Distilling, which has “reclaimed” the historic Midway Distilling Company name and brand, is not so much the new kid on the block but seeks to revive one of the oldest bourbon brands in Woodford County and the Commonwealth at large. And, it’s not just the Midway bourbon that it is reclaiming, but one of Woodford County’s most historic antebellum homes just outside of Midway on the Leestown Pike.
Bluegrass Distilling opened the newly restored house – which serves as the visitors’ center and tasting room – to a “Friends and Family” event last Friday, June 7.
According to the official Midway website, the original Midway Distilling Company began operations in 1865 at the corner of Railroad Street and Turner Street. In 1875, the second Midway Distilling Company was built on several lots along the Lee Branch of the North Elkhorn Creek and was eventually was owned by a prominent Midway family, the Cogars. The distillery was moved again to Gratz and Dudley streets. Other distilleries opened in the historic Bourbon District, including Bell of Anderson which operated from 1890 to 1912. The owner and Midway resident S.J. Greenbaum sold the Belle of Lexington brand and proudly displayed his Jewish heritage with Star of David labels. The Greenbaum-owned distillery burned to the ground in 1908 and was notable for the Lee Branch itself “being on fire” for over a mile. Midway Distilling ceased operations in 1924 during Prohibition.
This is the heritage Bluegrass Distilling is building upon.
Midway was intentional in trying to find investors to open and operate a distilling company that would integrate with the town’s historic place in Kentucky’s 225-plus year bourbon culture. In 2017, Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift appointed Dan Roller, John McDaniel, and Steve and Julie Morgan to a task force that traveled across Kentucky visiting distilleries and searching for a potential group to consider Elkwood Farm as an operational center. Vandegrift said, “We worked to get a distillery back in Midway since we had a history in this industry and we needed to be a destination on the Bourbon Trail. It’s something that will help tourism not just for Midway but the whole county. The opening of Elkwood Farm as a working distillery with a beautiful visitor center right next to town is a big win for Midway.”
The owners of Bluegrass Distilling chose to expand their operations from Lexington to include a distilling operation at the historic Elkwood Farm on Leestown Pike established in the mid-1830s. The homeplace is a modest antebellum mansion built in 1835 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was designed and built by renowned architect Gideon Shryock who designed the Old Capitol building in Frankfort. The restoration of Elkwood began in 2023 soon after Bluegrass Distilling purchased the farm and has been led by Midway’s Jane Foote Designs.
The house will be the site of the visitor center and tasting room as well as host events. The front porch is deep and spans the length of the front. The entry opens to two large rooms with original crown molding, window glazing and frames, fireplaces and mantles, and well—preserved ash floors. The far end of the entry is a single spiral staircase reminiscent of the double staircase in the Trustee’s House in Shakertown. Shryock’s design is stunning in its simplicity.
Maggie Young, Director of Marketing and Distribution, said “This is just a ‘friends and family’ gathering. We will start tours in just a few weeks and so we wanted to show those who’ve supported us from the beginning and who’ve helped since the progress we’ve made. We are pretty excited about what we have here.” Young credited the Midway Museum staff with critical assistance in understanding the history including a map of the original farmstead on which the current operation can be plotted on four of the original tracts.
Bluegrass Distilling is already offering three rye whiskeys under the Midway Distilling Company brand: Dudley & Gratz, Lee’s Branch, Colonel Francisco Rye Whiskey; and a rotation of special and premium whiskeys only available at Elkwood: Midway Lot 25, Reclaimed and Recharred, Blue Dog Whiskey and Elkwood Reserve (a bourbon).
Of particular interest to historians and collectors Young pointed out is each bottle has a bronze spinner “cap” sitting on the cork. A “spinner” was a token used in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century for a “gentleman to know whose turn it was to buy the next drink.”
One of the evening’s guests reclining in a rocker on the front porch with a glass of Colonel Francisco Rye and a $20 cigar under a Panama hat, said, “Life in Midway is pretty, pretty good.”