When Wes Henderson left Angel’s Envy in 2022 , after the brand sold to Bacardi, he intended to take it easy, play golf.
“I thought I might be able to retire, be a normal person,” Henderson said. “I realized I can’t do that. I have to keep moving.”
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In 2023, Henderson bought the Kentucky Castle that sits between Lexington and Versailles on U.S. 60 and Pisgah Pike for $19 million, as well as a nearby industrial park site where he plans to build a new, $92.5 million distillery that will employ nearly 100 people. The project has been approved for more than $5 million in Kentucky economic incentives .
“It all kind of came together,” he said. “I don’t know that I would be doing this now, if I hadn’t envisioned it as something bourbon-centric. It was sitting up on that hill, speaking to me. I just really thought having a bourbon component would be great.”