Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr

Kentucky Bourbon Maker

The interesting history behind the legacy of the Old Taylor Distillery began in 1897.

To read the distillery story and view a collection of historical photographs from the booming days of this world-famous distillery, visit:
               

 

Restoration Plans for the Old Taylor Site

Restoration plans are being developed for several important features of the Old Taylor Distillery Site including:

The Old Taylor Castle, the main distillery building, built of hand-cut Kentucky limestone to resemble a classic medieval castle. The castle was often featured in Old Taylor advertisements and on labels as a company trademark.

The Old Taylor Springhouse is a marvel of Art Nouveau design. The open-air peristyle with carved limestone columns and ionic capitals, surrounds the key to the distillery’s world-famous bourbon, the crystal clear spring, which was the distillery’s water supply. Appropriately, the spring reservoir was built in the shape of a large key-hole.

Also to be restored are the distillery’s ornate grounds, where Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. entertained noted government officials and society’s elite.

The reclamation of the re-usable antique building materials from obsolete structures is making the restoration of the most viable structures possible.

Everyone that purchases old materials from the site can feel good about being a part of this unique opportunity to extend the life and legend of the Old Taylor Distillery.

 

The Old Taylor Distillery played a major role in the history of the American bourbon industry. The impressive eighty-two acre site has numerous industrial buildings in addition to the legendary Old Taylor Castle, and Old Taylor Springhouse.

Over thirty years ago, when operations became obsolete, the stately iron gates of the nineteenth-century distillery were closed and the site was essentially abandoned.

Heart Pine Reserve’s experienced reclamation team is carefully dismantling several of the distillery's massive whiskey-barrel warehouses that are beyond feasible restoration.

Our selection of Antique Heart Pine comes from the timbers, plank floors and decking materials that are reclaimed from the interiors of the old brick structures.

 

The reclamation team works methodically to carefully recover the old materials piece-by-piece.

Once cleaned of old nails and iron bolts, the rare wood is sent to our millworks facilities where it is transformed into beautiful tongue and groove flooring and other custom millworks.

 

The beautiful vertical and arching grains produced by the incredibly tight annual growth rings are shown in this piece of reclaimed Antique Heart Pine Decking.

 

Each step of the process is governed by our strict quality control standards. This important attention to detail assures our customers the highest quality reclaimed Antique Heart Pine.

Learn about the unique characteristics of Antique Heart Pine and why it is so highly prized to warrant our extraordinary efforts to recover it.  

Old Taylor Distillery
Woodford County, Kentucky