COLUMBUS, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 14, 2024--
O.H. Ingram River Aged today announced a massive expansion of its footprint with the purchase of 24 acres of pristine land overlooking the Mississippi River in Columbus, KY. The acreage offers breathtaking views of the Mississippi and sits right above O.H.Ingram’s original floating rickhouses.
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The site also includes the former home of the Iron Banks Lodge, built originally as a hotel in 1930 by Francis Marion Rust who was leading relief efforts in Columbus after the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 had largely destroyed the town.
“This is a picturesque piece of property, and one that I’ve long identified as the perfect place to grow our operational and hospitality footprint,” said Founder Hank Ingram. “The potential here is phenomenal, and we are in the process of making some moves that will really put this place on the map in a new way. While we aren’t ready to go into details just yet, I can say that we have special plans for this site, so please stay tuned. We can’t wait to host friends and bourbon fans here soon and are excited to deepen our roots in this part of Kentucky.”
After outgrowing its original aging operations location last year, O.H.Ingram moved downriver from Wickliffe to Columbus and increased its total capacity to over 6,000 barrels.
Inside the original floating rickhouses, barrels of O.H.Ingram whiskies spend their years exposed to the climate and constant motion of the Mississippi River. The motion of the river, its high humidity, and natural daily heat cycling ensure that the whiskey never stops working, creating an extraordinary spirit. We call it Mellowed on the Mississippi. You can see full details about the unique aging process here.
To learn more about O.H. Ingram River Aged and sign up for updates, please visit IngramWhiskey.com, where floating rickhouse tours are available by invitation only. You can also follow on Facebook and Instagram.
About O.H. Ingram River Aged
O.H. Ingram River Aged was founded in 2015, when Hank Ingram pioneered the first permanent floating rickhouses to age award-winning whiskies in Western Kentucky.
Moored on the banks of the Mississippi River in Columbus, KY, O.H. Ingram River Aged’s rickhouses were custom built inside former tank barges. They now house a 2-story barrel maturation operation that never leaves the water. While having a similar look to those on land, Ingram’s rickhouses have a very different feel.
O.H. Ingram River Aged is the only whiskey in the world that spends its entire life on the Mississippi River – years of exposure to the microclimate and humidity of the river, along with its constant motion, creates complexity through a unique interaction between oak and spirit.
Presently available on shelves in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, as well as online via Seelbach’s, O.H. Ingram offers a bourbon, rye, straight whiskey, limited release Flagship and a single barrel program. Additional markets will come as inventory allows through R.S. Lipman.
O.H. Ingram River Aged's Expanded Grounds in Columbus, KY (Photo: Business Wire)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando’s tourism machine began grinding to a halt Tuesday with at least three major theme parks and the main airport announcing closures ahead of Hurricane Milton ’s expected hit as a major storm in Florida.
Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld will all close their theme parks and respective entertainment facilities on Wednesday, with the latter two also closed on Thursday and Disney likely to remain closed.
Universal also canceled Halloween Horror Nights scheduled for both days.
The theme parks join Orlando International Airport, which said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. The airport is the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked.
Disney World had said earlier in the day that it was open and planned only to close its campgrounds and rental cabins ahead of the storm.
The only indication at Disney Springs that a hurricane was coming had been the closure of a hot air balloon ride. “Closed due to hurricane,” an electronic sign read. “Stay safe.”
All the other stores and restaurants in the outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex inside the resort were open and doing brisk business.
Milton, which is expected to come ashore Wednesday, threatened to ruin the vacations of tens of thousands of tourists at Disney World.
Nicole and Zeb Downs arrived on Monday after a 21-hour drive from Arkansas, expecting a 12-day Florida vacation with their three young sons. By Tuesday afternoon, they were contemplating packing up their car and heading back.
“We are disappointed but it’s kind of out of our hands at this point,” said Zeb Downs as he strolled with his family along a still-bustling Disney Springs shopping and restaurant district at the park resort.
Neither of them had experienced a hurricane before and weren’t sure they wanted to try it.
The Orlando area is the most visited destination in the United States due to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and other theme parks, attracting 74 million tourists last year alone.
October is also among the busier times for theme parks because of Halloween-related celebrations, which have become major money generators over the past couple decades. Universal Orlando hosts “Halloween Horror Nights,” with ghoulish haunted houses based on slasher films and other pop culture horror, and Disney has its tamer “Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.”
While Disney rarely shuts its doors — save for dangerous hurricanes in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Sept. 11 attacks — its hotels are often havens for coastal residents fleeing impending storms. A check of Disney World’s online reservation system on Tuesday morning showed no vacancies.
Those lucky enough to get a hotel reservation have gotten unexpected treats during past storms. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, guests at a hotel on Disney property found themselves stranded with actress Kristen Bell, who voiced the role of Anna in the beloved Disney film, “Frozen.” While in Orlando, the actress found time to sing songs for evacuees at a nearby hurricane shelter.
Once a hurricane passes, the theme parks try to return operations to normal as quickly as possible. After Hurricane Charley charted a devastating path through Orlando in 2004, Disney World had utility vehicles picking up downed tree limbs and clearing roads on its property within an hour in the pitch-dark night.
Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform X: @MikeSchneiderAP.
Tourists at Icon Park walk by the Orlando Eye ferris wheel that was closed as Hurricane Milton threatened Florida, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Calm weather greets tourists strolling past the various shops at the Disney Springs entertainment complex as Hurricane Milton threatens Florida, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Calm weather greets tourists strolling past the various shops at the Disney Springs entertainment complex as Hurricane Milton threatens Florida, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
FILE - Guests at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World brave wind and rain as bands of weather from Hurricane Debby pass through Central Florida, Aug. 5, 2024, in Bay Lake, Fla. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, file)
