From Dan Conti, Kentucky Public Radio The president of the Kentucky Distillers Association says bourbon production in the commonwealth has increased by more than 50-percent since 1999.Eric Gregory told a legislative panel in Frankfort that in 2010, Kentucky distilleries rolled out 786,000 barrels of bourbon. "We have more than five million barrels of bourbon and other whiskies aging right now inKentucky. Of that, 4.7 million are bourbon. And the 2011 tax-assessed value of all those barrels is $1.5 billion, which is up $24 million since 2010.Gregory says there are now more barrels of bourbon aging in Kentucky warehouses than the state has people. Click here for an in-depth report on Kentucky bourbon's popularity.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
