Home Community Vintage Spirits: Justins' House of Bourbon
Vintage Spirits: Justins' House of Bourbon
by Reggie Beehner
Justin Sloan (left) and Justin Thompson, co-owners of Justins' House of Bourbon, have one of the widest collections of vintage bourbons in the world, including many that fetch prices of $7,000 or more. Photo by Reggie Beehner
Justins' House of Bourbon, which opened in February this year, is located in Lexington at the corners of Main and Jefferson streets. Photo by Reggie Beehner
It's kind of like "Antiques Roadshow" — only for bourbon.
That's how Justin Sloan likes to characterize the vintage spirits store that he and co-owner Justin Thompson opened earlier this year in downtown Lexington.
Housed at the corner of Jefferson and Main, Justins' House of Bourbon sells just about every bourbon imaginable, with an abundance of small releases and hard-to-find bottles. For those seeking a bourbon pilgrimage, the shop's vintage room offers a veritable hall of fame of some of the most coveted bourbons ever produced: Van Winkles, Old Fitzgeralds and W.L. Wellers, some of which command sums north of $7,000.
But the store's chief product, the owners say, is educating customers on bourbon's rich history.
"It's become our identity," Sloan said. "If you spend $1 or $1,000, you're going to be treated the same here. We'll talk to you for hours about bottles."
To that end, the store offers bourbon tastings tailored to participants' palettes, taking them on a historical tour of Kentucky's signature spirit, sampling a variety of bottles, vintage or contemporary. The tastings, which range from $15-$100 per person, are scheduled in advance and hosted in the store's tasting room, which hides behind a speakeasy door.
"It's cool to be able to tell [bourbon's] story," Thompson said. "But it's even better to open a bottle and have them taste that history. These bottles really are time capsules to another era."
Visitors can rest assured they're in good hands. Thompson and Sloan are among Kentucky's most knowledgeable and ardent bourbon evangelists. Thompson helped launch the bourbon lifestyle magazine The Bourbon Review in 2008 and later opened Belle's Cocktail House, a Lexington saloon devoted to top-shelf spirits. Sloan, who joined The Bourbon Review as a co-owner, helped found the bourbon fan group The Bourbon Mafia and built a popular website that served as a price guide for collectible spirits.
"That's the beauty of our shop," Sloan said. "There's something for everybody in here."
Brian Booth (left), manager at Justins' House of Bourbon, offers a few suggestions to customers Lisa Schmidley and Philip Schmidley, who were looking to purchase some Willett Rye as a gift. Photo by Reggie Beehner
The main room at Justins' House of Bourbon features hundreds of different kinds of bourbon and other spirits. Photo by Reggie Beehner
To the side of the main room at Justins' House of Bourbon is the vintage room, housing one of the world's largest collections of rare bourbons. Photo by Reggie Beehner
Justins' House of Bourbon carries a wide selection of small releases and hard-to-find bourbons. Photo by Reggie Beehner
Justins' House of Bourbon offers scheduled bourbon tastings in its tasting room, which sits hidden off the main store behind a speakeasy door, disguised to look like a shelf. Photo by Reggie Beehner
Thompson and Sloan acknowledge that a store such as theirs, specializing in historical spirits no longer available on the common market, would have been unthinkable even just a year ago.
That's because those vintage spirits — called "dusties" — were by state law illegal to purchase or sell. Although the trade of dusties still thrived among private collectors, it did so essentially on the black market — well out of reach of bars, restaurants and package stores, lest they jeopardize their liquor licenses.
But all that changed on Jan. 1, 2018, when House Bill 100 — dubbed the "vintage spirits law" — went into effect, clearing the way for licensed establishments, at long last, to legally pour some of the commonwealth's most sought-after spirits.
"That [law] was something we never thought possible," Sloan said. "There are still dry counties in Kentucky, and some of the laws go back as far as Prohibition. So that legislation came out as a dream."
Thompson agreed, adding that the law was one of the remaining pieces needed to make Kentucky a true destination.
"Visitors come to Kentucky for the ultimate bourbon experience," Thompson said. "So, they should be able to purchase some of these older bottles, just like you can buy vintage wine in a restaurant."
The bill initially was passed in March of 2017, and Thompson and Sloan immediately went to work, eager to open Kentucky's first vintage spirits store. Their search for a property ended with a former salon just a few blocks up Main Street from the Lexington Convention Center.
"It's a great spot because it's got some parking, and it's easy to explain where we're at," Sloan said. "And we wanted to be close to downtown hotels, where there was some foot traffic."
After a scramble to refurbish the old building, they opened their doors on Feb. 9. Business, they said, has proved surprisingly brisk, averaging several hundred customers each week. And it's not all sales — they also appraise and purchase old bottles from customers, which has helped them replenish and expand their inventory.
"It's remarkable what things still pop out of basements and closets," Sloan said. "We've purchased full cases of stuff from the 1970s that had never seen the light of day."
With bourbon sales booming nationwide, the internet might seem the next likely place to expand their offerings. But Thompson and Sloan say they're in no rush to move anything online. For one, their inventory turns over so quickly that it would be a headache to constantly update on a website. And they'd be limited where they could send products anyway. Kentucky's law allows for spirits to be shipped, but currently only to eight states: Arizona, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C.
Either way, Thompson and Sloan say they're happy with the niche they've carved out for themselves.
"We feel very fortunate to be able to do this — this is not work to us," Sloan said. "We're trying not to grow too quickly.We want to make sure that we can offer the same experience for everyone who walks in."
Two bottles of Corti Brothers, a private label issue of Van Winkle from the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, issued in the late 1980s and early 1990s that each sell for $8,500. Photo by Reggie Beehner
The original price tag from the late 1980s for the Corti Brothers private label bottle that now sells for $8,500. Photo by Reggie Beehner
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