Tickets for the bourbon tasting portion of BBQ and Barrels will go on sale Thursday morning. Organizers have released a list of the 18 distilleries signed up so far and said they expect that number to reach about 40.
In its second year with the new branding, BBQ and Barrels will take place in downtown Owensboro from May 10-11. It will kick off at 12 p.m. on May 10 with barbecue from church cooking teams and food vendors, carnival rides, and live music. The event will continue May 11 with the addition of the BBQ 5K, Backyard BBQ Cookoff, and the bourbon tasting events inside the Owensboro Convention Center.
The bourbon tasting portion of the event, sponsored by RW Baird Private Wealth Management, will start at 2 p.m. with educational sessions. The VIP hour will start at 3 p.m., with a general admission session from 4-6 p.m.
Tickets for the bourbon tasting go on sale at 10 a.m. on February 29 at bbqandbarrels.com.
VIP tickets are $110 and general admission tickets are $65. VIP tickets include special pours and barbecue samples. A new companion ticket is also being sold for $20 that doesn’t include sampling bourbon.
Tickets will also be sold for a May 10 dinner/cocktail pairing at Green River Distilling Company, costing $130 per person.
Dave Kirk with Visit Owensboro said the following 18 distilleries have already signed up to participate:
- Bardstown Bourbon Company
- Blue Run Spirits
- Bluegrass Distillers
- Broadleaf Whiskey
- Casey Jones Distillery
- Castle & Key
- Garrard County Distilling Co.
- Green River Distilling Co.
- Hemingway Whiskey
- Jefferson’s Bourbon
- Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.
- Log Still Distillery
- Maker’s Mark
- Old SteelHouse Distillery
- Pinhook Bourbon
- Pursuit Spirits
- Western Kentucky Distilling Co.
- Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.
Kirk said he anticipates they’ll end up with around 40 distilleries by the time of the event.
“It’s unbelievable but more accurately a reflection of Owensboro’s strong bourbon heritage that this many distilleries will be at BBQ and Barrels,” he said. “And the fact that you’ll also be able to purchase bottles directly from the distilleries is a huge bonus for attendees.”
