I went to Covington, Kentucky, in search of bourbon. The delicious spirit has defined the state’s history, so I happily hopped around bars, and even blended my own bottle at Wenzel Distillery. But out of all the wonderful Bourbon Line spots I visited, Revival Vintage Bottle Shop & Bar was the most unique. As you walk in, you enter a dimly lit space centered around a wooden bar lined with stools. Behind it, rows of liquor bottles are displayed on mirror-lined shelves. Pretty standard except that, here, vintage bottles stand next to modern ones.
Revival was established in 2020, just two years after Kentucky passed a law allowing individuals to sell old liquor bottles directly to licensed retailers. Co-owners Brad Bonds and Shannon Smith seized this chance to start collecting vintage liquors, many coming from people’s forgotten cabinets, and some that are over a hundred years old. “We’re kind of a foster home for bottles. This is the stop until they find their parents,” Bonds playfully told me. The team also hunts for new but rare bourbons, and noteworthy modern spirits.
Some of the bottles are kept for the bar and served to regular customers at affordable prices. This democratic approach sets the business apart from other vintage shops that focus on wealthy collectors. “While a Lighthouse Scotch from 1960 could cost $150 to $350 an ounce [elsewhere], we’re serving it at $10 an ounce,” Bonds explained. Besides glasses of straight liquor, the bar serves delicious vintage cocktails made with period-appropriate spirits.
Revival Vintage Bottle Shop & Bar provides an experience like no other
Brad Bonds’ love for “dusty” bottles is as obvious as it is contagious. For him, older spirits are simply superior. “[Bottles] used to have better ingredients, better alcohol. Everything then was more organic. Anything modern is [akin to] McDonald’s,” he said as I sat at the bar ogling the bottles behind him. To prove his point, he served me a Bacardi Añejo (a classic Puerto Rican rum) from the 1970s and its modern counterpart. He was right. The older bottle had a smoother flavor and tasted much better…