Cheers to Bourbon Women’s 10th anniversary

Bourbon Women recently held a Toast to the Tenth, an online celebration of the organization’s 10-year anniversary, and Louisville Water was part of the festivities.

Bourbon Women was created “for women who are passionate about Bourbon culture, women and the promise of adventure when the two are combined,” according to their website. Peggy Noe Stevens (whose father worked at Louisville Water) founded the group, which now has members in 30 states as well as Canada and Australia.

Louisville Water participated in the anniversary event by “highlighting our liquid assets—our connection to the bourbon industry,” said Vice President Kelley Dearing Smith. “Hundreds of bourbon enthusiasts—both men and women—watched the program on Friday, February 26. I gave them a little history of Louisville Water, talked about our similarities with the bourbon industry, and showed them how to do a ’water tasting.’ Beth Burrows, an American Whiskey Ambassador for Beam Suntory, joined me for a water and bourbon science experiment—looking at what happens to the bourbon when you add water and ice.”

“These partnerships highlight the economic importance of bourbon to Louisville Water—and the uniqueness of our product to their recipe,” Dearing Smith added.

During her presentation, she pointed out that Louisville Water is “bourbon’s best friend” because “water is used in the distilling process from start to finish.” More than a dozen local distilleries use our water, and we’re probably the only utility in the world with a bourbon section on our website.

Through the mail, the first 50 guests to sign up for the anniversary event received a Louisville pure tap® package that included a pure tap shot glass as well as a water bottle and a printed mat to help them organize water and bourbon samples for tasting.

The event garnered more than 1,090 unique viewers, which included bourbon fans in at least 37 states as well as other countries.

The attendees praised our product and our presentation in the online chat area for the event. Some bragged about receiving pure tap bottles at in-person events before the pandemic started. Others said they appreciated learning about the importance of the quality of the water used to make bourbon. One said she was “loving the water science.” Another simply noted that “the water matters.”