LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the wake of a Wall Street Journal piece suggesting "America's bourbon boom is over" and Brown-Forman laying off hundreds, those with a pulse on Kentucky's bourbon industry said they remain optimistic about the industry. 

Nick Lopez works for TourKentuckyBourbon.com, which specializes in putting packages together for individuals and groups coming to Kentucky. He said the state does a great job of promoting the bourbon tour industry across the country and internationally, with Louisville being a significant contributor. 

“The state of the bourbon tourism industry, from our perspective as operators, is very strong," Lopez said. 

Lopez said he's well-aware of potential tariffs on spirits but feels strongly about national and international demand for bourbon and bourbon tourism.

“Whatever decisions are made as it relates to tariffs or anything else, of course we’re going to roll with it," Lopez said. "The other thing we’re not considering is just how significant of an industry the spirits industry really is. You just can’t see that falling off overnight. There’s demand there nationally, internationally.”

Christina Vassallo, distillery portfolio director at Kentucky Peerless Distillery in Louisville, said 2024 was a record year for them. 

“We just saw the most people we’ve ever seen visit our distilleries," Vassallo said. "We just hope that grows.”

Vassallo said they’ve been working to get their distillery’s name out there, which involves traveling more across the country and trying to do a lot more locally such as participating in charity events. 

“We’re producing a little bit more; we’re trying to get our name out there and get more people involved with us," Vassallo said. "We’re hoping to see that growth as the years come.” 

Vassallo said they have a positive outlook on 2025 while Lopez also said business for this spring and summer is strong. Lopez added from his perspective, the enthusiasm and optimism for bourbon is at an all-time high.