Every year Fred Minnick puts together a series of talks at the Kentucky Derby Museum called The Legends Series. Despite the fact this event is held at the home of the Kentucky Derby it’s not about horse racing at all – it’s about the people who make the Kentucky Bourbon Industry great.

In the early years the focus was on a single guest – folks like Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey, Harlan Wheatley of Buffalo Trace, and even Greg Metze, formerly of MGPI. More recent programs have become panel discussions about important topics in the bourbon industry, such as women in bourbon.

This year’s series of events focuses on the family business of bourbon. Last Friday night the topic was Angel’s Envy, and the guests were Wes Henderson, Kyle Henderson, and Andrew Henderson.

Angel’s Envy is a product that starts out as a bourbon but that is finished in port wine barrels. One of the secrets of balancing out the end product, says Kyle Henderson, is reusing the port barrels and batching old and new together.

Andrew Henderson is the youngest Henderson to be working in the family business, and already he’s enjoying getting his hands dirty as Distillery Operator at the new Angel’s Envy Distillery on Main Street. He learned the ropes from his grandfather, Lincoln Henderson, and his father Wes. Lincoln Henderson was the father of Woodford Reserve Bourbon and came out of retirement from Brown-Forman to start this business with his son and grandsons. In addition to managing the distillery, both Andrew and Wes are also firefighters.

The Legends Series includes tastings and appetizers. The next installment will be on March 15 featuring Jim Beam’s Fred and Freddie Noe followed by Willett’s Evan and Britt Kulsveen on March 29. Tickets and more information can be found here: https://www.derbymuseum.org/legendsseries.html

This series is sponsored locally by Commonwealth Bank.

Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl