Jacob Spears House, Paris, Kentucky

One of the main attractions of the Blue Grass region is the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a driving tour that visits seven of the more famous Bourbon distilleries in the area. Ironically, the Trail bypasses the place where it all began. Located in the countryside just north of Paris in Bourbon County - of course - on quiet Clay Kiser Road (38.267753, -84.307994), is the Jacob Spears house and distillery (also known as Stone Castle).  Jacob, who was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, in 1754, first began distilling whiskey in Kentucky in 1790 and is widely considered the first to coin the term "bourbon whiskey".

Jacob Spears house, Bourbon County

Spears was a Revolutionary War veteran, serving in Captain Hoagland's company of Colonel William Crawford's regiment during the Sandusky expedition of 1782. He later joined Joseph Bowman's company as a sergeant and trekked with that outfit to present-day Harrodsburg, in Mercer County, where he purchased a tract of Bourbon County land from John Haggin.

The stone Federal style house (which features Gothic Revival additions) was built on Spears' property in c. 1790 by Thomas Metcalfe, a fellow Bourbon County resident who would become Kentucky's 10th governor. Together with his wife Elizabeth née Kellar, Spears raised six children (4 daughters and 2 sons) on his farm while continuing to produce bourbon for markets as far away as New Orleans.

After Jacob died in September of 1825, the distilling operation was continued by his son Soloman before being sold to Abram Fry. William H. Thomas purchased the farm and distillery in 1849 and continued its operation until 1882. In 1881, what was then known as the W.H. Thomas Distillery produced 900 barrels of Kentucky bourbon.

Just across Clay Kiser Road from the house sits the remaining stone bourbon warehouse that was built around the same time as the house. Up to 2500 barrels of whiskey could be stored in this remarkably preserved outbuilding.

Spears distillery warehouse

Today, the property is privately owned by a lawyer and his wife, who is currently serving in the Kentucky House of Representatives. There is no public access, other than to take photos from the road. At the corner of Clay Kiser Road and Cynthiana Road (US 27) sits Kentucky historical marker 2295. It's situated in a rather inconvenient location, so I didn't bother obstructing traffic to get a photo. The text, however, follows:

"Named after Bourbon Co. because of quantity and quality of whiskey produced within its borders. Made from a fermented mash of at least 51% corn, with less wheat, rye, or barley, yeast and limestone water. Distilled at no more than 160 proof and aged in charred oak barrels. In 1964, Congress recognized bourbon as a distinctly American product.

(Reverse) Stone Castle, 1 mile south, built 1790 by Thomas Metcalfe for Jacob Spears. A Pennsylvanian who settled in Paris, he was innovative farmer & one of first distillers of bourbon whiskey. Still standing on this farm are a springhouse and a storehouse for his bourbon whiskey. It is the most complete distiller’s complex still in existence today."

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