A Kentucky distillery just opened its floating barrelhouses to the public. If you carry a TWIC card, there’s ten percent off waiting for you.

As a Kentuckian having grown up in Louisville, I feel obliged to champion the state beverage: bourbon — which any proper Kentuckian will tell you absolutely must be bottled in Kentucky. So, this is a bit of a hometown story for me, and bourbon people love a good origin story. Indeed, both this bourbon and I have been “Mellowed on the River.”

In Columbus, Kentucky, the Ingram Distillery is truly different: Hank Ingram’s family has been moving cargo on the Mississippi River since 1857, and five generations, later he’s aging his bourbon on it — literally. The barrels never leave the water, sit inside custom floating converted grain barges-turned barrelhouses moored on the Mississippi, rocking and breathing through every season the river has to offer.

That’s another reason this story resonates with me personally. While in college in Nashville, I had the pleasure of meeting Bronson Ingram, founder of the Ingram Barge dynasty. Over the years, I’ve also spent many happy hours sailing, canoeing, motoring on — and hiking along — the and Ohio River.

At the  river’s constant motion cycles the whiskey in and out of the wood, with the south’s wild daily temperature swings accelerating the barrel interaction that gives bourbon its flavor and color. High river humidity slows water evaporation, mellowing flavor. Dedication both to both bourbon, and to the nature that helped created it, comes through: Both the O.H. Ingram and Uncharted bourbons have scored 95 points at the International Wine & Spirits Competition two years running, and in the top ten percent of all bourbons judged.

Open for Business, and Bluff Views

Perched on a bluff above the Mississippi next to Columbus-Belmont State Park, the distillery’s grounds in Columbus, Kentucky are open to the public Thursday through Saturday as of April 24. Options run from the Barge to Bottle Classic Tour (actually step aboard the floating barrelhouses) to the Chartered Experience (a private tour and tasting for up to ten people), to the Mellow on the Mississippi Retreat with a chef’s dinner and night’s stay.

TWIC Discount

Additionally, any visitor who shows a TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) carried by merchant mariners, port workers, and everyone else who needs unescorted access to MTSA-regulated facilities gets ten percent off their purchase. Ingram’s family company is one of the country’s largest inland barge operators, so you’ve in the Columbus area and have a TWIC in your wallet, Ingram is buying you a small piece of the first round.

The information in this post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For questions specific to your maritime law matter, please contact us at 713-955-3699 or Charles.Herd@HerdLawFirm.com.

Sources

The Ingram Distillery — IngramWhiskey.com (visited May 2026).

Lane Report, “Ingram Distillery Opens Grounds to Public,” April 15, 2026.

Breaking Bourbon, “Ingram Distillery Opening for Tours in 2026,” December 3, 2025.

Business Wire, “Ingram Distillery Introduces 2025 Flagship Bourbon,” October 7, 2025.

Transportation Security Administration, TWIC® Program Overview, tsa.gov/twic (visited May 2026).