The story of this brand is rich and complex, beginning in 1884 on Whiskey Row in downtown Louisville. Paul Jones, Jr. moved from Atlanta to Louisville, bringing along his whiskey recipe. Four years later, he trademarked the name Four Roses for his product. Known for his marketing prowess, Jones quickly gained popularity for the brand. However, after his death in 1895, the distillery passed to his nephew, Lawrence Levell Jones, as Paul was unmarried and had no children.
When Prohibition began in 1920, it posed a significant challenge, but Lawrence seized an opportunity by purchasing the Frankfort Distilling Company in 1921. This pivotal move allowed him to operate one of only six distilleries permitted to sell medicinal bourbon during that era.
For three decades after Prohibition, Four Roses became the top-selling bourbon label in the U.S. However, following Lawrence’s death in 1941, the brand was sold to the Canadian conglomerate Seagram. Despite this change in ownership, Four Roses bourbon continued to thrive.
The brand’s decline began in 1945 when Seagram introduced a blended whiskey also named Four Roses, leading to consumer confusion. They subsequently discontinued Four Roses straight bourbon in the U.S. during the late 1950s, focusing instead on the blend, which contained two-thirds grain neutral spirit. This decision did not resonate well with U.S. consumers, resulting in declining sales.
In 2001, Four Roses was acquired by Kirin Holdings, a major Japanese beer and beverage company. They prioritized quality by halting production of the blended whiskey and repurchasing remaining stock from distributors to remove the inferior product from the market. Shortly thereafter, their premium Kentucky bourbon began to flourish.
Recently, Four Roses opened a new multimillion-dollar Visitors Center in Lawrenceburg, enhancing the historic grounds. The distillery and production facilities are conveniently located just north of the Bluegrass Parkway and near several distilleries in Bardstown and Frankfort. The grounds are beautiful.
The Visitors Center features a beautiful bar and restaurant, along with distillery tours, tastings, and mixology classes.
Their barrel storage and bottling facility is located in Coxs Creek, just north of Bardstown, where additional experiences are offered. Unlike many large distilleries, visitors cannot complete the entire process from production to bottling at a single location. If you plan to visit both sites, be sure to schedule your stops wisely, as the drive between Lawrenceburg and Coxs Creek takes approximately 30 minutes.
Both locations are open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Mark Meade is the author of The Bourbon Journey, a travel guide that highlights our iconic bourbon distilleries and the experience of bourbon tourism. This column serves as a natural extension of the book. All rights reserved. For questions or comments, contact the author at [email protected].
