Nearly every whiskey maker in the United States uses stills made by Vendome Copper & Brass Works, the world-renowned builder and designer of pot and column stills, cookers, fermenters, storage tanks, and pretty much every other piece of equipment related to distilling.
The Vendome workshops are located along quiet, peaceful Franklin Street in downtown Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood, less than a mile from Whiskey Row. The main office sits right beside the workshops, in an attractive 19th century townhouse. This family-owned firm has been making distillery equipment since the early 20th century when it was helmed by W. Elmore Sherman. Today the company is in its fourth generation of Sherman family ownership, and the Shermans are very actively involved. In addition to distilling equipment, Vendome serves the needs of the brewing, food, dairy, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries, among others. Its work is highly specialized, almost always involving custom designs to meet some very specific production needs.
Yesterday Vendome announced a major expansion move with a second, 50,000 square foot facility, adding to the 85,000 square feet of workshop and offices on Franklin Street. The new space is located on Ormsby Avenue, about three miles from the main downtown location. It’s designed for the production of large-scale stainless steel vessels of up to 200,000 gallons, as well as most other equipment for Vendome customers. The expansion is expected to reduce wait times and boost output while also reducing prices. New offices are also being added on Franklin Street, directly across from the current one. The new Ormsby Avenue site has already been up and running; Potter Jane Distillery was the first customer to have fermenters shipped from there, a few months ago.
While the overwhelming majority of U.S. distillers use Vendome equipment, the few notable exceptions include Kentucky’s Woodford Reserve and Texas-based Balcones. Both use stills made by Forsyths, the Scottish equivalent of Vendome. Brooklyn’s Kings County uses equipment from both companies. With this strong preference for Vendome, the whiskey boom of the past two decades has boosted the company’s business exponentially.
A visit to Vendome’s workshop is a sight worth seeing for any whiskey fan. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t offer public tours, but Kentucky travel company Mint Julep Experiences does a limited version—effectively a sidewalk tour when the weather is nice and the giant doors to the workshop are open.
