Keep Glenns Creek Distilling alive!
Donation protected
This project is to help fund the restoration of the Old Crow Distillery, where Dr. James Crow developed the sour mash process used for modern bourbon recipes. We want to restore it into a historical landmark for people to visit and see one of the birthplaces of bourbon in all its glory.
Our Story
David Meier, the owner of Glenns Creek Distilling, has always had a love for where things are made, how they are made, and the level of craftsmanship that went into their making. This love of creation was one of the driving forces behind his career in manufacturing and yearning to create something of his own. He had been mulling over different manufacturing based business ideas, looking into current businesses, and struggling to find something that would keep his attention for years. But that’s when he happened upon the Old Crow Distillery. Seeing the exorbitant level of craftsmanship that went into the old buildings and seeing the state that they were in after being abandoned for 30 years brought up a mix of sadness for the current state and intrigue for what it must have been like in its prime.
So David started to research the history of Old Crow to get a better feel of what role the old distillery played in the bourbon industry and Kentucky. Old Crow wasn’t just a source of jobs and bourbon, it was innovation incarnate. The famous bourbon produced in 1835 by Dr. James Crow was done using the sour mash process he perfected, which has essentially become the foundation for bourbons since then. David’s interest had been caught, he wanted to recreate a new bourbon produced in the style of Dr. Crow; something that Dr. Crow would drink and approve of and bring the historic distillery back to life.
The road ahead to restore and and preserve these great buildings is a long one, but one that everybody at the distillery is willing to undertake. We reuse and repurpose items salvaged from the old buildings and almost all of the work done to restore the distilling building has been done by us. We have also designed and built nearly all the equipment we use during the cooking of the mash, fermentation, and distillation process. To make a truly hand-crafted bourbon we wanted to make the entire process hand-crafted and custom to our distillery.
Unfortunately this restoration project has been a larger expense than anticipated and we often have to push aside refurbishing and maintaining the old buildings in order to try and push sales to stay afloat. We want to make this a historical location for people to visit while on the bourbon trail and for the locals who had family work at the Old Crow Distillery to be able to see their family history. Every month is a fight to stay open, and now we are asking anybody inclined to saving this historic location to help us bring it back to life.
You can view our website for some more of our history.
Our Story
David Meier, the owner of Glenns Creek Distilling, has always had a love for where things are made, how they are made, and the level of craftsmanship that went into their making. This love of creation was one of the driving forces behind his career in manufacturing and yearning to create something of his own. He had been mulling over different manufacturing based business ideas, looking into current businesses, and struggling to find something that would keep his attention for years. But that’s when he happened upon the Old Crow Distillery. Seeing the exorbitant level of craftsmanship that went into the old buildings and seeing the state that they were in after being abandoned for 30 years brought up a mix of sadness for the current state and intrigue for what it must have been like in its prime.
So David started to research the history of Old Crow to get a better feel of what role the old distillery played in the bourbon industry and Kentucky. Old Crow wasn’t just a source of jobs and bourbon, it was innovation incarnate. The famous bourbon produced in 1835 by Dr. James Crow was done using the sour mash process he perfected, which has essentially become the foundation for bourbons since then. David’s interest had been caught, he wanted to recreate a new bourbon produced in the style of Dr. Crow; something that Dr. Crow would drink and approve of and bring the historic distillery back to life.
The road ahead to restore and and preserve these great buildings is a long one, but one that everybody at the distillery is willing to undertake. We reuse and repurpose items salvaged from the old buildings and almost all of the work done to restore the distilling building has been done by us. We have also designed and built nearly all the equipment we use during the cooking of the mash, fermentation, and distillation process. To make a truly hand-crafted bourbon we wanted to make the entire process hand-crafted and custom to our distillery.
Unfortunately this restoration project has been a larger expense than anticipated and we often have to push aside refurbishing and maintaining the old buildings in order to try and push sales to stay afloat. We want to make this a historical location for people to visit while on the bourbon trail and for the locals who had family work at the Old Crow Distillery to be able to see their family history. Every month is a fight to stay open, and now we are asking anybody inclined to saving this historic location to help us bring it back to life.
You can view our website for some more of our history.
Organizer and beneficiary
Dane Schlea
Organizer
Frankfort, KY
David Meier
Beneficiary