Brough Brothers Distillery

Brough Brothers Distillery was founded by brothers Victor, Christian, and Bryson Yarbrough, who are natives of Louisville, Kentucky. Victor Yarbrough, who previously worked in corporate finance in the UK, established an import-export business named Victory Global, LLC, which handled alcoholic beverages, including bourbon. Bryson Yarbrough, who had an engineering career in the U.S. Army, joined Victor in 2013, with Christian Yarbrough joining in 2019 to form the Brough Brothers brand. The company began as an import/export operation in the United Kingdom in 2012, expanding to the U.S. in 2013, with distillery plans dating back to 2017. The distillery officially opened in December 2020 in Louisville's Park Hill neighborhood, making history as Kentucky's first African American-owned distillery, a status recognized by the Kentucky Senate in August 2020. The founders aimed to produce quality bourbon whiskey in an industry that had been largely inaccessible to minority entrepreneurs and to contribute to the revitalization of the West End neighborhood through job creation and economic development. Brough Brothers Distillery produces bourbon, gin, rum, and vodka. Their original bourbon, initially sourced and later distilled in-house, features a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Tasting notes for their bourbon include green apple, pear, ginger, nutmeg, sweet caramel, and vanilla. They also offer a botanical gin, an aged rum, and a six-times distilled premium vodka. The company initially distributed sourced bourbon overseas starting in 2019 and domestically from February 2020. By December 2020, distribution extended to Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, and Colorado, with plans for expansion to 20 additional states. Brough Brothers filled its first 5-gallon barrels of house-made bourbon on New Year's Eve 2020. In April 2021, it became the 42nd member and the first African American-owned distillery to join the Kentucky Distillers' Association since its founding in 1880. The distillery produces approximately one barrel of bourbon per week, with an expected increase to five to ten barrels weekly by late 2021. Their small-batch bourbon earned a Silver medal at the USA Spirits Ratings. In 2026, they collaborated with Belle of Louisville to release Captain's Cut and Cask Strength bourbons. A new, larger facility on River Road in Louisville, intended t