Kentucky’s signature industry permeates all aspects of the state’s economy, history, and identity. Over 2.7 million visitors toured Kentucky’s distilleries in 2025 and there are more barrels aging in Kentucky’s warehouses than both people and horses combined. Bourbon Tourists are drawn to Kentucky through the common thread of a high-quality Kentucky whiskey. But they stay longer, visit more things, and spend more money through a commonality they share with Heritage Tourists: an interest in authentic histories relayed through a unique sense of place. Bourbon's prominence in Kentucky makes one thing surprising: we’ve only scratched the surface of Bourbon History. This talk will highlight how much there is still to discover about this industry. It can energize communities who want to join in community archaeology projects or share stories of their own families. It faces the same challenges as other archive and library institutions with a large percentage of uncatalogued materials in distillery archives though there are business cases for its long-term preservation. It crosscuts demographics and interests providing opportunities to leveraging unique discoveries even for audiences who have no interest in consuming alcohol. It is resilient and overcomes challenges like the record setting 2025 flood. This talk will have something new for bourbon novices or even seasoned experts. Consider it an invitation to join us and learn more as we discover these stories together.
Dr. Walker will discuss the ways the local bookmobile and libraries multiplied his love of books and early literacy and how integral library archives and research have been to achieving the status as the most prolific poet of historical poetry writing today.
