Wenzel Whiskey

Really enjoyable experience!! Great to hear about the history of the building, area and to learn about bourbon. Griffin was knowledgeable and explained all the details and process and made the experience fun! I can't wait to come back in a year to see the new distillery!! The experience includes a taste of 4 bourbons well aged and 2 of them were their whiskeys. Then you get to be the mixologists and make your own blend and buy it if you choose. I couldn't resist (or was it the good bourbon influencing me)... I purchased Lorean's KY Moonshine curated by me!! It's your own mix and label!! So fun!!

A few years ago the owners of the old Wenzel Building came before Covington's Urban Design Review Board wanting to transform the building into the Pickle Factory Boutique Hotel. The UDRB was the first step in getting approval for making it happen. Now this review board concerns itself with the exteriors of historical buildings around the city. Preserving historical buildings is job one. The owners quickly reassured the board very little will be done to the exterior. Age appropriate windows would be installed. That meant 1873 style windows. I knew exactly what they were talking about because the year earlier I assisted in making and installing age-appropriate windows for Libby's Southern Restaurant down on West 8th Street. I digress. The Pickle Factory Boutique Hotel was approved and has been operating for a couple of years now. I found out the owners were very pleased when Taylor Swift played Cincinnati. As for me, I was very pleased Wenzel Whiskey was open and I finally got the chance to experience the building which as an UDRB member I voted "Hell Yes!"The backstory about the building and Mr. Wenzel's history is incredible. A man with a dream and how he made a name for himself. What blew me away is this is the first distillery in Covington since Prohibition and it doesn't disappoint. Here they don't make your whiskey. You do. What happens is Wenzel Whiskey gets bourbon directly from different distillers from Kentucky and other states and to quote Mona Lisa Vito in 'My Cousin Vinny' "You blend." There's the fun. If high school chemistry was like this, I would've paid more attention. Go with a lot of friends who love bourbon. The key is share and sample as much as possible. A group can come up with dozens of different taste blends. Any blends that taste bad, which is no such thing, can be dispatched quickly. It's a great time. For a couple hours, you play alchemist and come up with your perfect blend of whiskey. Your unique blend. Your preferred selection. Your cure-all elixir and there's nothing else like it.

Great experience overall. Very knowledgeable about the bourbon and great value for the tasting.

Very enjoyable experience. Griffin was very welcoming and he knew his bourbon blending. Very good and to the point instruction about blending. He answered my questions thoughtfully. Very knowledgeable about the distillery being built, as well as the blends of bourbon whiskey that he had a hand in. Griffin was very impressive and I will be making a return trip, hopefully with a friend to do the blending exercise again. Also will come back in order to purchase the sherry-finished bourbon you guys did such a great job on and won awards in San Francisco because of. Cheers and good luck to future success!

Unique event! The staff is friendly, accommodating and very informative. Our family had a great time!