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HISTORY

THE OXMOOR STORY

The Oxmoor story unfolds over three centuries and details one family’s work to define and defend what we know today as Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Bourbon is more than a drink. It is America’s only native spirit and a significant part of our history. The Oxmoor story highlights the impact of five generations of legal scholars on the famous spirit that would one day spawn an industry contributing $9 billion annually to Kentucky’s economy. 

The trailblazing Bullitt family helped shape the future of Kentucky Bourbon while also playing an integral role in the early formation of our Commonwealth. Their story involves many famous figures from both Kentucky and Bourbon history.

The Oxmoor story begins in 1787 when the Bullitt family first purchased Oxmoor Farm. The original home was built in 1791 with the help of another famous Kentuckian, noted stone mason and builder, Evan Williams. It would then serve as a meeting place for original farmers of the Kentucky constitution, including one of its primary authors, Colonel George Nicholas.

Oxmoor House underwent its first significant expansion in 1829, including construction of what would become the family’s primary residence for more than a century. Throughout that time, the family legal scholars would help craft many of the foundational pieces that define Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Timeline

Bullitt Family & Oxmoor History

Alexander Scott Bullitt (ca.1762-1816) migrates from Virginia to the Louisville area. Evan Williams begins distilling whiskey in Kentucky.

1783

Alexander Scott Bullitt acquires the land that would become Oxmoor Farm.

1787

The first dwelling is completed. A six-room frame structure that now comprises the back center of the house. Bricks for the chimneys were purchased from the prominent stonemason, Evan Williams.

1791

Kentucky becomes the 15th state

Alexander Bullitt is instrumental as the co-writer of the state’s first constitution along with George Nicholas. He also served as a state senator from 1792-1800. Alexander is known to enjoy a tipple of corn whiskey.

1792

Alexander Bullitt sells his corn crop to Thomas Cannon in exchange for 500 gallons of whiskey. This is the Bullitt family’s first involvement in what would become Kentucky’s signature Bourbon industry.

1806

William C. Bullitt is admitted to the Kentucky State Bar.

1812

First known advertisement using the word “bourbon” to describe whiskey appears in Kentucky’s Western Citizen newspaper.

1821

William C. Bullitt adds the brick addition to the front of the house with a passageway connecting it to the original 1791 structure

1829

Bourbon makers begin branding their distillery’s name on barrel heads, giving rise to the term “brand name.”

1830s

Civil War / Oxmoor House is closed and the family moves into Louisville.

1861-1865

Thomas Walker Bullitt, son of William C. Bullitt, begins practicing law in Louisville.

1865

George Garvin Brown introduces Old Forester, the first bourbon exclusively sold in a sealed glass bottle.

1870

KY Distillers’ Association forms, possibly represented by Thomas Walker Bullitt.

1880

Marshall Bullitt graduates from University of Louisville Law school and begins practicing with his father Thomas.

1895

The Bottled in Bond Act, often considered the country’s first consumer protection law, establishes a federal stamp on bourbons and other aged spirits that adhere to set quality standards. Much of the work of producing this law was done by Thomas Walker Bullitt.

1897

Kentucky Whiskey Interest forms into a combine representing 90% of Kentucky distilleries.

1899

The Pure Food & Drug Act is enacted

Potentially some of the work of producing this law was done by Thomas Walker Bullitt.

1906

Oxmoor House is reopened by the family.

1908

The Taft Decision is Enacted by President William Howard Taft. William Marshall Bullitt receives a letter of congratulations for his work in shaping it.

1909

William Marshall Bullitt is appointed Solicitor General by President Taft and moves to Washington.

1912

The service/kitchen wing added to the west side of the house.

1915

William Marshall Bullitt, representing the KDWC, sues Elwood Hamilton in US District Court - ‘defending 10,000,000 proof gallons of whiskey’

1919

The Bullitt family produces the first Oxmoor Kentucky Whiskey “Private Stock” bottling just before the enactment of Prohibition. Barrels are sourced and bottled by independent bottling companies.

1920

The Volstead Act takes effect

More than two hundred distilleries close due to federal Prohibition. Six receive licenses to sell “medicinal” alcohol.

1920

William Marshall Bullitt argues against the 18th amendment in the U.S. Supreme Court.

1920

Federal Prohibition is repealed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt states, “I trust in the good sense of the American people.”

1933

The government mandates that Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak containers.

1938

William Marshall Bullitt dies.

1957

Congress formally establishes Bourbon as a “distinctive product of the United States.”

1964

Tommy Bullitt inherits Oxmoor and begins developing parts of the land.

1976

The U.S. Senate designates September of that year as National Bourbon Heritage Month. People have been celebrating unofficially every September since.

2007

Oxmoor Bourbon Company is launched.

Oxmoor House opens for private tours and tastings, Oxmoor Bourbon “Private Stock” Vol. 3 is released

2024

Oxmoor Bourbon bottle and cocktail on bar

DEFINING & DEFENDING BOURBON

Over the next century, Bullitt family legal scholars helped craft many of the foundational pieces that define Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This includes their work in the formation of the Kentucky Distillers Association (1880), the Distillers & Cattle Feeders (1887) which would later become the Kentucky Distilleries & Warehousing Co. (1895) and finally the Kentucky Whiskey Interest (1899) plus the adoption of the Bottled-in-Bond Act (1897), the Pure Food & Drug Act (1906), and the Taft Decision (1909). 

In the early 1900s, a dark time descended upon the Bourbon industry with the halting of grain use for distillation during World War One followed by the enactment of American Prohibition in 1920. Thankfully, the Bullitt family and others did the work necessary to ensure Kentucky’s Bourbon industry was protected and well-positioned to rise again when Prohibition ended in 1933, ushering in a new golden age of Bourbon as the beverage we know and enjoy today truly begins to take shape. 

Oxmoor Farm would go on to weather the ups and downs of Bourbon for another century. But its reemergence in the 2000s, thanks to the work of the Kentucky Distiller’s Association, the creation of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the growth of “Bourbonism”, we now enjoy what has once again become America’s favorite spirit. 

We look forward to sharing the family’s honored history with you.

Oxmoor Farm

Buffeted by the beautiful gardens that were designed in 1911 and the tree-lined avenue, as well as the charming outbuildings add to Oxmoor’s beauty and its historical uniqueness. Come and hear the stories that Oxmoor has to tell of early pioneer days and the Native Americans, the history of hemp cultivation in Kentucky, the antebellum years and the enslaved community that lived and worked here, through the gilded age and present day. Come see one of the few historic sites in the country where you can walk through 3 centuries of American history and explore the 13 original outbuildings including a smokehouse, springhouse, ice house, hemp barn, and former slave cabins.

The historic house is furnished with original pieces that belonged to the Bullitt family. The gardens were designed in 1911 by Marian Cruger Coffin, one of the first female landscape architects in the country. All house tours are guide-led and last approximately one hour. Due to the historic nature of the house it is not fully handicap accessible. You can leisurely explore the grounds on your own before or after your tour.

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HISTORY

THE OXMOOR STORY

Bullitt Family & Oxmoor History

Kentucky becomes the 15th state

The Pure Food & Drug Act is enacted

The Volstead Act takes effect

Oxmoor Bourbon Company is launched.

DEFINING & DEFENDING BOURBON

Oxmoor Farm

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