Event Sponsor - Kentucky Eagle

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During the Great Depression, OA Bakhaus took a risk and relocated his family from Oklahoma to Lexington, Kentucky to make a better life. He worked tirelessly, acquiring several businesses, including the purchase of Bennie Robinson, Inc in 1948 – the one that would become Kentucky Eagle. A lot has changed since then. Beers have come and gone; the business has grown in size and scope. Second-generation leader Ann Bakhaus took the company from an exclusive Anheuser-Busch distributor to a total beverage distributor. What hasn’t changed is the will to go above and beyond every day. Excellence in all we do. Connection to our community.

Today, Mr. Bakhaus’ legacy is carried on, through the third generation of leadership and the work of the entire Kentucky Eagle team. From our 190,000 square foot, LEED-certified facility, we distribute beer to central and southern Kentucky, and wine and spirits statewide.

Our Purpose
We deliver good times by distributing beer, wine, spirits, and beer cheese to your favorite outlets, assuring quality control through our product knowledge. With a strong family legacy and dedicated family of employees, we push ourselves to succeed every damn day.

Our Vision
We are leading Kentucky Eagle into a new era of innovation. We intend to be the most forward-looking distributor in our industry, constantly challenging the status quo.

The patriotic men of the 10th brought diversity, courage, and hope to the Rocky Mountains when they arrived in the 1940s to train just a few miles south of what is now Vail.  

They were part of the greatest generation of men, wanting to make each day count and each day better than the last.  The mentality they had was strong after being shaped from the rigors of mountain warfare, their egos humble.

Camp Hale, the legendary home of the 10th Mountain Division, was constructed in 1942, located 22 miles west of Vail between Leadville and Minturn in the Pando Valley. The initial population of Camp Hale included 15,000 soldiers, 3,000 administrative, medical, and other non-skiing staff, 5,000 mules, and 200 dogs.

In January of 1945, the 10th deployed to Italy’s Apennines Mountains, where they would battle the German army for the next two and a half months. On May 2, 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies in Florence, Italy, ending the 10th’s Italian Campaign. 

After World War 2, many of the 10th Mountain Division warriors came home to the USA and continued skiing. The 10th Mountain Division veterans started many of the US ski areas we now love. At least 62 ski resorts have been founded and managed by former 10th Mountain Division veterans. 

The tradition of excellence established by the original 10th Mountain Division continues with today’s 10th Mountain Division Light Infantry (LI). Now based at Ft. Drum in Watertown, New York, the 10th Mountain Division LI has the distinction of being the most deployed military unit when a humanitarian, natural disaster, or conflict arises in the world.

The 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company is an extension of the mountain lifestyle, bringing together the old with the new. Generation after generation, men and women alike, all share this same passion, enjoying it for a day, a weekend, a lifetime, or somewhere in between. No matter how long it’s embraced the combination of friends, mountains, memories, and spirits, brings people together like no other.

To encourage these relationships, to embrace the mountain lifestyle, and to honor the 10th Mountain soldiers who inspired our way of life, we created a tribute spirit company in Vail Colorado. Not only is it a tribute to the 10th Mountain soldier, but it is also a tribute to those that enjoy the mountain lifestyle, living it fully, every day.

Bardstown Bourbon will be doing its Art of Blending experience for the VIP event at the 2nd Annual Bourbon Ball. 

The Bardstown Bourbon Company is a New Blend of Bourbon Makers, pushing the boundaries through innovation, while honoring the traditional art of making whiskey. Set on 100 acres of active farmland in the heart of the Bourbon Capital of the World®, we produce the highest-quality Kentucky bourbon, whiskey, and rye brands as well as offer custom whiskey production through our one-of-a-kind Collaborative Distilling Program. We are the first Napa Valley style destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® to combine distilling, culinary, and beverage expertise to create a modern, authentic bourbon experience.

In the heart of the Bourbon Capital of the World, we are passionate about making great whiskey. In our state-of-the-art facility, we have the capability to produce over 50 different mashbills, otherwise known as recipes, across the entire whiskey spectrum. We have distilled for some of the best whiskey brands in the world, and have taken all of that knowledge to create our own sought-after expressions.

291 Colorado Whiskey is a globally acclaimed, small batch whiskey nestled in the shadow of Pikes Peak. Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Michael Myers, a former New York City fashion and beauty photographer, with a love of whiskey and passion for the old west, aims to replicate the taste, smell and folklore of that time, to create a one of a kind, bold and beautiful, Colorado Whiskey.

Myers, no stranger to whiskey or the West, set out to create a flagship whiskey that evoked the Wild West. He grew up on rural family farms in Georgia and Tennessee, across a countryside defined by rolling hills, horses, Jack Daniels and George Dickel. For decades since then, he carried with him an iconic vision of walking into an old west bar, saying “give me a whiskey”, and the bartender slamming down a bottle– that bottle would be 291 Colorado Whiskey.

291 Colorado Whiskey is “Hardmade the Colorado Way”. Myers built his original still from copper photogravure plates that he had once used to create enduring photographic scenes, from western landscapes to the Chrysler Building.  On September 11, 2011 — ten years after 9/11 changed his life and the lives of so many others — Myers pulled his first whiskey off of that still, building his future in whiskey, off his passion for photography. Almost 12 years later, Distillery 291 is distilling, by hand, from scratch, twelve distinctive Colorado whiskeys. Utilizing grains from the Colorado plains and water collected from Pikes Peak reservoirs, Myers turned his artist’s eye towards whiskey and hasn’t looked back. Everything matters..

291 Colorado Whiskey has been recognized for its spirit from such notable publications as Whiskey Magazine, Whiskey Advocate, The Whiskey Bible, American Whiskey Magazine, Spirits Business Journal, IWSC as well as the most respected competitions including San Francisco World Spirits Competition, World Whiskies Awards, Luxury Whiskey Masters and more. Named 2022 American Craft Producer of the Year, World’s Best Wheat- 2021, World’s Best Rye-2018, as well as, Best American New Make-2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023, as well as 2-time US Micro-Whiskey of the Year (Runner-up 2020, 2018) 2023 Colorado Distillery of the Year; 291 has earned bushels of national and international awards and is the most highly awarded Colorado Whiskey and at the top of craft whiskeys throughout the US.

That said, what will always define 291 Colorado Whiskey is its spirit, passion permeates every sip.

Bourbon With Friends Podcast is a self-funded podcast heard in 76 countries around the world, featuring numerous celebrity guests such as Sam Heughan, Ian Somerhalder, Graham McTavish, Michael Ray, Jefferson White, and Terry Bradshaw. We have also recently founded "With Friends Media Group" to encourage more people to get into podcasting and new shows include "Outlander With Friends" which debuted as one of the top 50 TV podcasts on Apple.

Our podcast has a strong focus on philanthropy and giving back to the community, having donated over $50,000 since January 2022. The 2022 Ball raised over $30,000 for Folds of Honor and we are expecting this year's event to be even bigger and better.

Co-Hosts Paul & Connor will be leading the 2023 Bourbon Ball and are very excited to bring this event to the local community to support our great veterans and their families!

Upon booking your ticket. Please select whether you would like the chicken or steak option for your main course.