SOMERSET, Ky. — A southern Kentucky city is welcoming the state’s signature industry and tourism driver. 

What You Need To Know

  • Horse Soldier Bourbon is investing more than $200 million in Somerset, Kentucky, with a permanent distillery site 

  • The company was founded in 2015 by military veterans 

  • Somerset-Pulaski County already sees more than four million visitors yearly

  • The distillery plans to open on America's 250th birthday, July 4, 2026

Somerset, Kentucky, in Pulaski County, will be the home of a distillery for Horse Soldier Bourbon.

More than 200 acres of land, an old golf course, will one day be the home of Horse Soldier Bourbon. It’s a more than $200 million investment in the lakeside community.

Horse Soldier was founded by military veterans in 2015, including company president Scott Neil.

“Most of us served at Fort Campbell for 17 to 20 years, and we knew that Kentucky would be our forever home," Neil said.

The soldiers served in Afghanistan following 9/11 on horseback, thus the name Horse Soldier.

“We’re really this blend of this modern understanding of distillation and the use of modern technology and distilling techniques, but we are also steeped in modern history, and that’s our service to this country," Neil said.

Neil said he and the company’s other co-founders needed a career after retiring from the military. They fell in love with the bourbon and whiskey industry.

“Like most friends that you see on the Bourbon Trail today, you have this bit of a passion and you seek a little bit more knowledge and understanding of how to make this," Neil said.

The passion became a business, producing more than 30,000 barrels. Now overlooking the waters of Lake Cumberland, construction continues in Somerset on the future home of Horse Soldier Bourbon’s distillery.

Chris Girdler, CEO of the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority, said the city is already the self-proclaimed capital of Lake Cumberland.

“With our already built-in visitation level of four million visitors a year coming to Lake Cumberland, them being the southern anchor of the Bourbon Trail, we really believe the sky is the limit right now," Girdler said.

Girdler said the area is open for business, and Horse Soldier’s investment will have an impact decades to come.

“You’re going to see hundreds of millions of dollars invested, over 100 jobs created and then the indirect job impact ... with all the suppliers and project as a whole," Girdler said.

The founders are targeting a special date for a grand opening.

“We’re very nostalgic Americans, and we’re looking at July 4, 2026," Neil said. "That is the 250th anniversary of the United States." 

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