KIRBY, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming's first legal distillery says its first batch of bourbon whiskey will be ready to drink in December. But Wyoming Whiskey says people will only be able to buy bottles in Wyoming at first because of the limited supply.
The distillery is the first legal bourbon distillery in the history of Wyoming and is set to produce handcrafted bourbon under the direction of Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally using only ingredients from the great state of Wyoming.
"The Big Horn Basin has everything you need to make great bourbon, from corn grown in Thermopolis, wheat from Meeteetse and barley from Riverton to water from the artisanal, limestone wells in Worland," said Founder and Chief Executive Officer Brad Mead.
The company began distilling whiskey in 2009 in the tiny town of Kirby (pop. 57) under the guidance of Steve Nally, a former master distiller at Maker's Mark. Nally and his wife Donna relocated from Kentucky to oversee the whiskey making operation and run the distillery.
"It's a once in lifetime opportunity for a Master Distiller to bring his trade to a beautiful part of the world and create a traditional bourbon that takes advantage of the quality of the local ingredients and unique maturation environment that the Big Horn Basin provides. A chance to work with Lincoln Henderson just puts it over the top," said Master Distiller Steve Nally.
Mead told the Northern Wyoming Daily News that 200 of the 3,000 barrels now being distilled will be released beginning on Dec. 1.
Wyoming Whiskey has built a 5,500 square foot distillery in Kirby, Wyoming that will produce 1,000 barrels a year and plans to start sales in Wyoming and then expand to a national distribution model. The company plans to expand sales to the rest of the country in the fall of 2013.
Tours of the distillery are conducted Monday through Friday by reservation. To arrange a tour time, call (307) 864-2116.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)














