Exclusive: Mayor Fischer to announce initiative to promote Louisville beer at press conference Monday (Insider Louisville)
Just under a year ago, Mayor Greg Fischer announced an initiative to boost Louisville’s bourbon and dining culture as a major tourist draw.
“They think of Napa Valley for wine,” Fischer said at the time. “We want them to think of Louisville for bourbon.”
The committee charged with driving the initiative was made up of representatives from the bourbon, dining and tourism industry. Even the coffee segment was represented. Brewing was not. And many in the brewing scene took exception.
As Kevin notes, John King and the Kentucky Guild of Brewers grabbed this educational opportunity and wouldn't let go, leading to the establishment of the committee.
I was on the study group. In addition, I was "on it" back in December of 2013, when the bourbon and dining initiative first initiated the brewing business backlash, and the following column was a result. You might find it worth rereading. It seems to me that Mayor Fischer recovered nicely from the faux pas, and tomorrow morning's announcement should be fun.
Now comes the best part. Will anything actually happen?
The PC: Bourbon, bone marrow, Greg Fischer … and Stella Artois?
... Fischer’s advisors neglected to remind him that other elements of the city’s food and drink culture might feel slighted if not mentioned during the photo op, and indeed, nothing whatsoever was said about wine, coffee, food trucks … or craft beer. This is unfortunate, as a mere paragraph surely would have sufficed as appeasement, but someone ineptly dropped the ball … and thinking back to that insular space within the hospitality industry zone, it was inevitable that disaffection would come to be expressed.
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