Wilderness Trail Distillery

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{{notability|Companies|date=March 2017}}

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{{Infobox company

| name = Wilderness Trail Distillery

| type = distillery

| location = Danville, Kentucky

| founded = 2013

| variants =

| website = {{URL|wildernesstraildistillery.com}}

}}

Wilderness Trail Distillery is a distillery in Danville, Kentucky that started operation in 2013 by Dr. Pat Heist and Shane Baker.{{Cite web |last=Simmons |first=Ted |date=2024-07-10 |title=The big interview: Dr Pat Heist, Wilderness Trail |url=https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2024/07/the-big-interview-dr-pat-heist-wilderness-trail/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=The Spirits Business |language=en-US}} After spending over 10 years as consultants and providing yeast and optimization services to most of the industry, Wilderness Trail has three whiskies on the market: a Single Barrel bottled in Bond, Kentucky; Straight Bourbon made with small grain wheat; another bourbon bottled in Bond; Straight Bourbon small batch of 12 barrels made with rye small grain; and a Kentucky straight Rye Whiskey single barrel cask strength. All are high quality and aged from 5 to 7 years.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} Wilderness calls itself the city's "oldest legal distillery".{{cite news|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2016/09/14/wilderness-trail-distillery-open-expansion/90349240/|title=Wilderness Trail Distillery to open expansion|last=Loosemore|first=Bailey|date=2016-09-14|newspaper=The Courier-Journal|location=Louisville Kentucky|accessdate=2016-09-30}} Wilderness restored the Willis Grimes House, an 1869 historic Home used for their offices, and moved its main distilling and warehousing operations there in 2015. Their campus rests on 163 acres in Boyle County.{{cite news |last=Peek |first=Kendra |url=http://www.amnews.com/2016/09/24/getting-in-the-spirit-crowd-turns-out-to-support-distillery-grand-opening/ |title=Getting in the spirit: Crowd turns out to support distillery grand opening |work=The Advocate Messenger |location=Danville, KY |date=2016-09-24 |accessdate=2017-08-02 }}

In October 2022 Campari acquired a 70% stake of the company for $420 million.{{cite news |url=https://vinepair.com/booze-news/campari-acquires-wilderness-trail-distillery/ |title=Campari Acquires 70% Stake in Wilderness Trail Distillery For $420 Million |work=vinepair.com |location=Danville, KY |date=2022-10-31 |accessdate=2022-10-31 }}