Old Pogue

Old Pogue has a history dating back to the years following the Civil War. In 1876, the original Pogue distillery, Kentucky registered distillery No. 3, was established in Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky, very near a site often said to be the location of Kentucky's first bourbon distillery.

Prior to Kentucky's statehood, Maysville was part of Old Bourbon County, Virginia, where pioneer distillers discovered that the Indian corn and limestone water of the region made a product of mellow character and distinguished flavor.

Today, the bourbon-making tradition is carried forward by fifth and sixth generation Pogues using the original Pogue recipes under a time-honored and fixed formula. Our current base of operation is located in the very same plot of land in Maysville, and we are proud to offer superior quality, small-batch bourbon and rye spirits.

That was the short version. For you history buffs out there, here is the long version: Following the Revolutionary War, a few venturesome settlers migrated down the Ohio River. One of their first stops was at the junction of the Ohio River with Limestone Creek, an area in centuries past known for buffalo fording the Ohio River and beating a path to inland Kentucky in search of nutrient rich salt licks. This migration pattern was the beginning of old “Buffalo Trace”. Here in the original Bourbon County or "Old Bourbon" as it was commonly called, the settlement of Limestone Landing was formed. Limestone Landing became Maysville, KY in 1792 and the whisky that passed through Maysville was known as Old Bourbon County Whisky.