Forecastle’s acclaimed Kentucky Bourbon Trail® outpost, the Forecastle Bourbon Lodge®, will return for the festival’s 15-year anniversary with a unique lineup of offerings, education, entertainment, cuisine and hand-picked rarities exclusive to Forecastle. The Wall Street Journal best-selling author Fred Minnick hailed Forecastle as “Bourbon’s most important festival for new consumers,” praising its creation of “future connoisseurs.”
Set to take place July 14-16, 2017 at Waterfront Park, Forecastle will feature a diverse collection of Kentucky Bourbon Trail brands offering dozens of selections within the Forecastle Bourbon Lodge experience, including those from Coopers’ Craft, Bulleit, Four Roses, Jim Beam, Larceny, Maker’s Mark, Michter’s, Old Forester, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve. The full list of selections can be found at ForecastleFest.com.
Now in its 5th year, the Forecastle Bourbon Lodge experience offers a 16,000 square foot oasis for festival enthusiasts, complete with an outdoor bourbon garden and patio, air-conditioned lodge and full service restrooms. New in 2017, the Lodge will feature the Rarities Bar, presented and hand-picked by Liquor Barn, featuring unique, one-of-a-kind, limited releases – many unavailable anywhere except Forecastle. Those with Bourbon Lodge memberships, currently available at ForecastleFest.com, will have exclusive early access to the release schedule.
The Flight Bar returns in 2017, presented by Liquor Barn, offering patrons a rotating selection of Kentucky’s finest craft Bourbons, complete with curated, recommended flight pairings, and the chance to learn what makes each unique and special.
Forecastle will again feature the popular Bourbon Cares program, also presented by Liquor Barn. The 2017 edition will pair Bourbon brands with Forecastle Foundation conservation partners to support numerous Kentucky-based projects, including the Green River and Pine Mountain Wildlife Corridor initiatives. Participating brands include Four Roses, Old Forester and Woodford Reserve. These single-barrel selections will be sold in the Forecastle Bourbon Lodge and at the Springhurst Liquor Barn.
For festival-goers seeking a different sipping experience, Liquor Barn’s Mixology Bar will return, offering patrons the chance to turn their favorite Bourbon into a hand-crafted cocktail, by a professional, local mixologist. In addition, select Bourbon brands will offer signature cocktails at their booths.
Forecastle Bourbon Lodge activities will also include Liquor-Barn presented Fireside Chats, offering an intimate, living room setting for educational panels, speakers and demonstrations with industry experts, retailers, mixologists and master distillers.
Outdoors in the Bourbon Lodge Patio and Culinary Oasis, chef Jason Brauner of Louisville’s Bourbons Bistro will again create an eclectic, Bourbon-infused menu.
Returning for the fourth year, Forecastle’s Great Lawn will play host to an artistic bar experience commemorating the legacy of Gonzo journalist and Kentucky Bourbon aficionado, Hunter S. Thompson. The Gonzo Bar, presented by White Clay Consulting, will offer a variety of Bourbons and specialty cocktails inspired by the iconic, Louisville writer. New film and art components, inspired by Thompson, will be highlighted.
General Admission, General Admission Plus and VIP weekend passes, as well as Bourbon Lodge memberships are available at ForecastleFest.com.
