Spirits · Owensboro, Kentucky
Green River Distilling Company
A revived 1885 Owensboro distillery making Kentucky bourbon and rye on the Green River.
- Founded
- 1885
- Founded by
- John W. McCulloch
- Based in
- Owensboro, Kentucky
Making it since
1885
Their story
Green River's story starts in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1885, when John W. McCulloch, a former federal revenue agent, turned to making whiskey himself. A fire in 1918 destroyed the distillery along with tens of thousands of barrels, and after Prohibition the site passed through several owners before going quiet again.
The modern revival began in 2014, and whiskey was flowing again by 2016, first under the O.Z. Tyler name. In 2020 the distillery took back its original Green River name after McCulloch's great-grandson, Rob McCulloch, passed the brand rights to the owners. In 2022 Bardstown Bourbon Company agreed to acquire Green River, bringing the two Kentucky distilleries under one roof. It sits at the western end of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
How it's made
Green River distills bourbon and rye at scale in Owensboro, both for its own label and for other brands. Its own whiskeys, including a wheated bourbon, are released at four years old or more and skip the TerrePURE accelerated finishing process once used at the site.
Green River was known for making some of the finest whiskey in Kentucky.
Why we carry them
We like Green River as a well-made, fairly priced Kentucky bourbon with a real backstory, an easy pour for weeknights and cocktails alike.
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