Christian County Wines and Whiskeys

Local winery and distillery

The last time I had an alcoholic drink was about 7 years ago, and it was the first drink I'd had in a long while. I'm not a drinker at all. However, I visited a liquor store with Keely, just before Thanksgiving. She wanted a bottle of white wine for cooking her turkey.

It was interesting to see some Bravard wines on the liquor store shelves. We know Jim and Janet Bravard, the owners and operators of the Bravard Winery. They live on a farm just off Highway 800 in northeastern Christian County (KY).

Around 20 years ago, we learned that my husband's employer (AAFES) was sending us to Fort Campbell, KY.  We were in Berlin at that time, and one of my husband's co-workers said, "You should look up my sister at Hopkinsville, when you get there." The sister turned out to be Janet Bravard. Jim was selling real estate at that time, and he helped us buy our house. They were very kind to us as newcomers, and their kids and our kids have been friendly ever since.

The Bravards have worked hard on their winery, improving their facilities little by little, planting more varieties of grapes, and producing more wines. Please note the name on the bottle on the right. If I were going to buy a bottle of wine, that would definitely be my choice!

Christian County now has a whiskey distillery, too. It opened for business a few weeks ago. It's located on a former Amish farm on Barker Mill Road, just east of St. Elmo in southeastern Christian County. The owner is Paul Tomaszewski, and his wife's name is Merry Beth Roland. (Is it a coincidence that the distillery is named MB Roland? I doubt it.)

I read in the Kentucky New Era* that MB Roland is distilling White Dog from white corn and Black Dog from white corn that has been dark fired in a tobacco barn. The MB Roland website mentions another whiskey, True Kentucky Shine, that is made with a traditional moonshine recipe and methods.  The website also says that they've made a couple of rums. These are the first locally-produced hard liquors in around a century, according to our county historian, William Turner -- not counting moonshine, of course.

There is very little chance that I will ever taste the White Dog, the Black Dog, the Shine, or the rums. I'm not curious about their flavors. I decided a long time ago that I don't like whiskey or rum. However, I am curious about the distillery, and I might visit someday, just to see how these spirits are made.

*"13 Cats and a Still" by Kevin Hoffman, Kentucky New Era, October 10, 2009. (Subscription may be required.)