Copper & Kings sits in a converted 1800s warehouse on Louisville’s East Washington Street, making American brandy in the heart of bourbon country. Founded in 2014 by Joe Heron, a former British spirits executive who fell in love with Kentucky’s distilling culture, this operation breaks from tradition by focusing on brandy instead of bourbon. The 35,000-square-foot facility houses copper pot stills imported from Germany, where they distill grape-based brandies using techniques that blend European tradition with American innovation. You’ll find them producing American brandy, gin, and absinthe in a space that feels more like an artist’s studio than a typical Kentucky distillery. Heron’s vision was to create America’s first urban brandy distillery, and he chose Louisville specifically for its distilling heritage and the musical culture that influences every aspect of their process. The team includes master distiller Brandon O’Daniel, who came from the beer industry, bringing a different perspective to spirits production. Their philosophy centers around what they call “sonic aging” – playing music to the barrels during maturation, believing vibrations affect the spirit’s development. The result is a distillery that challenges Kentucky’s bourbon-centric identity while respecting its craft heritage. Visitors walk through a space where copper gleams against exposed brick walls, and the aroma shifts from grape must to botanical gin preparations depending on what’s running through the stills.