DSP-KY-10. That is the federal permit number stamped on the Owensboro Distilling Company’s license — the tenth distillery ever permitted in the state of Kentucky. The number alone would be remarkable. What makes it extraordinary is the gap: after operating from 1885 under founder J.W. McCulloch, the distillery sat vacant and deteriorating for nearly 25 years before new owners purchased the property in 2014 and rebuilt it. The physical campus — 28 acres of production facilities, barrel warehouses, and visitor infrastructure on Distillery Road in Owensboro — is a resurrection. The original buildings were crumbling. The equipment was gone. What remained was the land, the limestone water source, the federal permit number, and the institutional memory of a site that had produced bourbon for brands like Ezra Brooks and Mellow Corn during its previous lives. Today the operation runs under two names. Owensboro Distilling Co. is the production entity. Green River Distilling Co. is the consumer-facing brand, reviving a name that dates to the original 1885 distillery. Green River was once "the most widely advertised whiskey in the world," marketed as "The Whiskey Without A Headache" and later "The Whiskey Without Regrets." It served as the official whiskey of the U.S. Marine Hospital for 18 years. After Prohibition killed the brand, it languished for decades. The current ownership brought it back, and in 2025, Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon was named Best Bourbon in the World at the New York World Spirits Competition.
The distillery sits at 10 Distillery Road in Owensboro, Kentucky, the westernmost stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Owensboro’s position along the Ohio River and a major rail line made it a natural hub for whiskey production and distribution in the 19th century. The town’s geological gift is the same as the rest of central Kentucky: a massive limestone shelf that filters the local water supply, removing iron and enriching it with calcium and magnesium. The result is soft, mineral-rich water ideal for fermentation.
The distillery’s history reads like a bourbon industry timeline compressed into a single address. J.W. McCulloch founded Green River Distillery in 1885. Prohibition forced closure. Post-Prohibition, the site passed through multiple owners — the Medley family, Fleischmann’s, and eventually the company that would become part of the pathway to brands like Ezra Brooks and Old Medley. Fires, bankruptcies, and ownership changes accumulated until the facility was finally shuttered in the early 1990s. For a quarter century, one of Kentucky’s oldest bourbon sites sat empty.
The 2014 acquisition brought in industry experts to resurrect the operation. The renovation blended historic preservation with modern distilling technology — the original stone and brick structures were restored, and new production equipment was installed to create a facility capable of producing over 95,000 barrels of bourbon and rye per year. That is not craft-scale production. It is one of the largest independent distilling operations in the country. The campus now includes a beautifully renovated visitor center, a tasting bar, and a comprehensive tour program that was recently named one of the Top 5 Bourbon Tours in Kentucky. The distillery’s position as the westernmost point on the entire Kentucky Bourbon Trail makes it a natural first stop for travelers approaching Kentucky from the west.
Green River’s flagship Kentucky Straight Bourbon uses a high-rye mashbill: 70% corn, 21% winter rye, and 9% malted barley. The 21% rye content places it in the moderately spicy range — enough to provide pepper, cinnamon, and dry grain character without overwhelming the corn’s caramel sweetness.
The Kentucky Wheated Bourbon — the expression that won Best Bourbon in the World — swaps the rye for wheat, producing a softer, sweeter, and more approachable profile. Wheat rounds out the mouthfeel and lets the barrel character carry more of the flavor load. The wheated and high-rye expressions, made on the same equipment from the same water source, give drinkers a genuine side-by-side comparison of how a single grain substitution changes everything about a bourbon’s personality.
The Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey uses a 95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill — one of the highest rye percentages in commercial production. This is not a rye-flavored bourbon. It is pure rye whiskey, spicy and assertive.
All production uses locally sourced Kentucky-grown corn and traditional sour mash fermentation. The water is drawn from the same limestone-filtered source that McCulloch used in 1885.
The rebuilt facility uses copper column stills for the primary distillation, with a doubler for the second pass. The equipment is industrial-scale — this is not a craft operation with a single pot still producing two barrels per day. The capacity to produce 95,000+ barrels annually puts Owensboro in the same production class as Kentucky’s largest independent distilleries.
Master Distiller Jacob Call oversees production. Call is a third-generation distiller whose family has been involved in Kentucky bourbon production across multiple operations. His experience spans the full range of bourbon production, from mashbill design through barrel selection and blending.
The distillery also operates a significant contract distilling business under Lofted Spirits, producing bourbon and rye for private-label clients and custom brand development. This dual role — proprietary Green River brands alongside contract production for dozens of outside brands — mirrors the historical pattern at the site, which produced whiskey for many different labels throughout the 20th century.
Green River ages its bourbon in new charred American oak barrels on the 28-acre campus. The flagship Kentucky Straight Bourbon carries a minimum five-year age, which places it ahead of the four-year minimum required for a BiB designation. The Full Proof Bourbon is bottled at the same proof it entered the barrel, with no water added — an undiluted expression of the barrel’s influence on the distillate.
Owensboro’s climate features the same dramatic seasonal temperature swings that characterize central Kentucky aging — hot, humid summers and cold winters that drive the expansion and contraction cycle essential for flavor extraction. The Ohio River valley humidity influences the angel’s share dynamic, with alcohol and water evaporating at rates that differ from drier inland climates. The campus includes multiple rickhouse styles across the 28 acres, and barrel position within those warehouses — top floor versus bottom, windward wall versus interior — significantly influences the final flavor of each barrel. Top-floor barrels experience more extreme temperature swings and tend to develop bolder, more oak-forward profiles. Lower-floor barrels mature more slowly with softer, more nuanced results.
Single barrel selections are drawn from individual casks that meet specific quality criteria set by the distilling team. Because each barrel interacts with its position in the warehouse, the local weather patterns, and the unique characteristics of the specific wood differently, no two single barrel releases are identical.
Jacob Call is the Master Distiller and a third-generation bourbon maker. His family’s involvement in Kentucky distilling spans decades, and his experience covers the full spectrum of bourbon production from fermentation chemistry through barrel management and blending. Call oversees both the Green River proprietary brands and the contract distilling operations.
Aaron Harris serves as Head Distiller, managing day-to-day production operations and distillery tours. Harris brings hands-on distilling expertise and is the primary guide for visitors touring the facility.
Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — 90 proof. High-rye mashbill (70/21/9). Minimum five years aged. Golden amber, warming spice, vanilla, and caramel with a moderate oak finish. A solid, competent bourbon that over-delivers at its price point. Approachable enough for bourbon newcomers but structured enough for experienced drinkers.
Green River Kentucky Wheated Bourbon — 90 proof. Wheat replaces the rye for a softer, sweeter profile. Peach, honey, gentle vanilla, and a finish that does not bite. Named Best Bourbon in the World at the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition. If you have avoided bourbon because of the “burn,” this is the expression that may change your mind.
Green River Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey — 90 proof. 95% rye, 5% malted barley. Sharp, peppery, and unapologetically grain-forward. This is rye for rye drinkers — assertive, spicy, and dry. Works exceptionally well in cocktails that need a backbone.
Green River Full Proof Bourbon — Bottled at barrel entry proof, no water added. The high-rye bourbon in its most concentrated form. Rich oak, deep toffee, and a finish that outlasts the conversation. For drinkers who want to taste what the distiller tastes when evaluating barrels.
Green River Single Barrel Bourbon — Minimum five years, barrel proof. Each barrel is hand-selected and bottled individually. The flavor varies by barrel — one may emphasize dark fruit and heavy spice, the next vanilla and toasted grain. These are the expressions that show the full range of what the Owensboro aging environment and the house mashbill can produce from a single cask.
Green River Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon — The award-winning wheated mashbill at cask strength from a single barrel. These combine the softness of the wheated recipe with the intensity of barrel-proof bottling and the uniqueness of individual cask selection.
Green River’s lineup spans from a $25 daily sipper to barrel-proof single barrels, all produced at the same 140-year-old site. The wheated expression won a global competition, and the high-rye expression delivers reliable quality at a price that does not punish your wallet. The question is which profile fits you — the spicy structure of the rye-forward bourbon or the approachable sweetness of the wheated.
OAKR’s blind tasting panel evaluates each expression without labels, across 100+ flavor notes in 10 macro categories. For a distillery offering two fundamentally different bourbon profiles from the same water source and production facility, the data shows you exactly where they diverge: which leans sweeter, which carries more oak tannin, and which barrel-proof expression matches your specific tolerance for intensity. Your Spirit Match score maps your palate against both profiles, so you know whether to chase the award-winner or the high-rye flagship before you commit.
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Bourbon enthusiast, spirits industry analyst, and the voice behind OAKR's distillery guides, brand reviews, and bourbon education content. Visiting distilleries, dissecting mashbills, and translating the craft into data since 2024.
Green River’s wheated bourbon won Best Bourbon in the World. Your Spirit Match tells you whether the wheated or the high-rye flagship fits your palate.
