Philip Rawleigh, vice president of business development at Distillery 291, filmed distillery founder Michael Myers giving a tour that was live-streamed on Facebook.
These Distilleries Are Hosting Virtual Tours as Social Distancing Grows
March 25, 2020 –––––– Sam Stone
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to increase within the U.S., many state and local governments are taking action. Within the past week, several state governments—including those with dense urban populations, such as California, Illinois, and New York—have ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses, which includes distillery visitor centers, in order to curb the spread of the virus. Distilleries may still be in production, and many have shifted to making hand sanitizer, since the crisis has created a shortage.But the closure of visitor facilities strikes a blow to one of whisky's greatest qualities: bringing people together. Fortunately, some distilleries are finding ways to foster a sense of community while maintaining social distance by offering virtual tours. Accessible over the internet, these tours allow whisky lovers to enter the distilleries from the comfort of their own homes. Kentucky's Four Roses is among those taking the virtual leap; it closed its two visitor locations on March 14 and later suspended operations at the distillery on March 20.“We have closed our visitor centers at both locations to protect the health of our employees and visitors,” master distiller Brent Elliott tells Whisky Advocate. “In lieu of seeing the process first-hand, we thought it would be nice to share a virtual tour with bourbon lovers everywhere and visitors who had to cancel trips to our facilities.” The Four Roses virtual tour is available on its website, a variety of photos sharing the distillery's history and the bourbon-making process.Colorado Springs, Colorado'sDistillery 291 started live-streaming virtual tours on Facebook as part of a social media initiative that also includes sharing cocktail recipes, music performances, and happy hours. “We know that people are having a hard time—I mean, everybody's somewhat locked in their house or has very, very low contact with other people right now,” says founder Michael Myers. “So we just feel that it's a way to help and entertain our community.”
