Castle & Key Distillery: The Restored Old Taylor Site in Millville

Castle & Key is a Kentucky distillery built on the restored site of the historic Old Taylor Distillery in Millville. It was announced in 2016 with Marianne Barnes as master distiller.

Key facts

• Location: Millville, Kentucky, on the Old Taylor Distillery site

• Announced: March 2016

• Master distiller at launch: Marianne Barnes, described as Kentucky's first female master distiller since Prohibition

• Official website: castleandkey.com

History

Announcements in March 2016 described a restoration of the Old Taylor Distillery site by partners including Marianne Barnes. The Colonel Taylor story that water is the key to bourbon is the source of the name.

Early reporting aimed for an opening in 2015 and then early 2017, and a first bourbon around 2020, showing how long the restoration took.

Range

The official site lists a full portfolio of spirits and a rotating selection of limited releases. Names and strengths were not read in this research.

The site and Colonel Taylor

The official Castle & Key site says the Castle has stood over the site since 1887 and that the site first served as a distillery as early as 1819. Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. chose the location for its springs, and the Springhouse has watched over the water source since 1887. Taylor built the Octagonal Tower in 1909 as a yeast laboratory, and the Old Administrative Building and Bottling House date from about 1905 to 1910.

Restoration

The official site says Castle & Key took over the property in 2014 and found much of it overgrown, including the Old Administrative Building. Warehouse A collapsed in the early 1990s after snow damaged its roof, and the ruins are now an herb and botanical garden. National Distillers added the Shooking Building in 1940 and Warehouse E in the 1950s.

Warehouses and production

• Warehouse B, built around 1907 by Taylor, is the primary warehouse with over 35,000 barrels aging

• Warehouse E was built for slightly under 65,000 barrels and the official site says it now holds north of 60,000 barrels of whiskey

• The Cistern Room is used for all barrel filling

• The official site says every spirit is made on site

Visiting

The official site offers booked experiences, a quarter-mile Botanical Trail, a Boiler Room shop, and a bar and tasting room in Taylorton Station with an outdoor walk-up cafe called Counter 17. On the day it was read the site showed 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, so check current hours and prices before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Castle & Key?

In Millville, Kentucky, on the Old Taylor Distillery site.

Who was its first master distiller?

Marianne Barnes.

Is the site historic?

Yes, it is the restored Old Taylor Distillery.

Sources and gaps

• Distillery Trail, 29 February 2016, Marianne Barnes now has the key to the castle

• Bourbon Banter, 3 March 2016, Announcing Castle & Key

• Castle & Key official site (castleandkey.com), snippet only

• GreatDrams, 12 February 2019, Castle and Key distillery story (snippet)

• Castle & Key, Our Story and Visit pages (castleandkey.com/pages/our-story and /pages/visit), read 20 October 2026

Gaps: the official history and craft pages and the spirits range pages were not read, so stills, mash bill, range and ABVs are not verified. The current owner and master distiller are not confirmed. Marianne Barnes was master distiller at launch and has been reported under the name Eaves, so check her current status before publishing. Opening hours seen on the site are a single day's snapshot. Set the slug by hand.