Adairville, Logan County, Kentucky – May 1, 2023 – Shawn McCormick, owner & founder of B. H. James Distillers, proudly announces the filling of their first whiskey barrel. This is exciting news for owner Shawn McCormick and the distilling team at B.H. James Distillers because they are currently using a small 25 gallon pot still while plans to install an 800 gallon pot still are still in review. Shawn and distiller JR Hunter filled a used 53 gallon bourbon barrel with 34 gallons of Kentucky Grit® Corn Whiskey on March 31^st, 2023. Yes, the barrel was only mostly filled as it took 2 months to distill that amount on the small but mighty still. The former contents of the used bourbon barrel are now part of the upcoming Batch Three of Burton James^TM Whiskey. The Kentucky Grit® Corn Whiskey was made with 81% Logan County Non-GMO Yellow Corn, 10% Logan County Rye, 5% Kentucky Grown & Malted Barley, and 4% Oats. The corn and rye were grown a few miles away from the distillery by Walnut Grove Farms of Schochoh, KY. The barley was grown and malted by Caseland Farms and South Fork Malthouse in Cynthiana, KY. A small amount of our first on-site distilled, barreled and aged whiskey will be removed, bottled and available for purchase at the distillery during the 75^th Adairville Strawberry Festival May 19-20, 2023. The Kentucky Grit® Corn Whiskey will be aged a little over 5 weeks, which is very young, but so are we! We wanted to give people a small sneak peek into what we’re making and how it’s developing over time. The remainder will continue to age and be bottled for the distillery’s first anniversary this November.

More great news came to the B.H. James Distillers team with the announcement of Gold and Silver medals from the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 2023 Beverage Testing Institute Vodka Category Competition.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (https://www.sfspiritscomp.com/about/) was founded in 2000 and is the oldest and largest competition of its kind and is the most prestigious and closely watched spirits competition in the U.S. The 2023 Competition had more than 5,500 entries from around the world. B.H. James Distillers received awards for their Burton James^TM Whiskey and James Lake^TM brands from the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition:

Gold Medal – Burton James Whiskey Batch 2 – Rookie Season: Batter Up

Silver Medal – Burton James Whiskey Batch 1 – Rookie Season: Opener

Silver Medal – James Lake Small Batch Crafted Vodka

Silver Medal – James Lake Citrus Solstice

Silver Medal – James Lake Summer Berries

Silver Medal – James Lake Crisp Cucumber

Bronze Medal – James Lake Tangerine Dream


The Beverage Testing Institute (https://bevtest.com/about/) was founded in 1981 and started testing spirits in 1994. They hold competitions for different spirit categories throughout the year. B.H. James Distillers received awards for their James Lake^TM brand from the Beverage Testing Institute 2023 Vodka Category Competition:

James Lake Small Batch Crafted Vodka – 87 Points – Silver Medal and 3rd Place in the Cosmopolitan Cocktail Competition

James Lake Citrus Solstice Vodka – 84 Points – Bronze Medal and 4th Place in the Cosmopolitan Cocktail Competition

James Lake Tangerine Dream Vodka – 92 Point – Gold Medal

James Lake Crisp Cucumber Vodka – 87 Points – Silver Medal


McCormick states “Winning these awards is a true honor and a major sense of accomplishment because all the winning spirits are from the first batches we ever produced.  I worked really hard to get the distillery open and to bottle great tasting products. Besides winning these great awards, it’s very rewarding when I hand someone a sample of my spirits and they are amazed by the aroma and flavor and get excited about purchasing a bottle. It’s been a long 10 year journey from when I thought about opening a distillery while touring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2012 and to receive recognition in our “rookie season” is extremely gratifying.”

All products are available for tasting and purchase at the B.H. James Distillers distillery at 220 W. Gallatin Street, Adairville, KY 42202. The distillery is currently open Thursday through Saturday from 1pm – 5pm (and whenever the OPEN signs are out!). If you’d like to stop by outside these hours, please call 270-893-8575. Burton James^TM Whiskey and James Lake^TM Vodkas are distributed throughout Kentucky by Heritage Wine and Spirits, if you don’t see them at your favorite liquor store or restaurant, please ask for it to help us grow! Visit our websites to learn more about our products: 

www.burtonjameswhiskey.com  and www.jameslakespirits.com. 

About B.H. James Distillers

B.H. James Distillers is a small craft distillery located at 220 W. Gallatin Street, Adairville, KY 42202 and is owned by Shawn McCormick who was born in Russellville, Kentucky with a family history going back at least five generations in Logan County.  It produces Burton James^TM Uniquely American^TM Whiskey, James Lake^TM Vodka, and Kentucky Grit® Whiskies. It had its ribbon cutting on November 4, 2022, and the Bottle Shop is open Thursday through Saturday 1 PM to 5 PM selling the spirits it produces as well as T-shirts, hats, drinkware, etc. The spirits are distributed in Kentucky by Heritage Wine and Spirits.

Being a long-time bourbon drinker and wanting to own a business, McCormick became inspired to open a distillery after going on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2012. In January 2015, he purchased his first 16 barrels of Bourbon & Rye whiskies to start the aging process. His original goal was to open the distillery before 2020; however, like a fine whiskey, good things happen with a little more age. His 10-year dream became reality on November 4, 2022.

‍B.H. James Distillers and Burton James^TM Uniquely American^TM Whiskey are the names chosen by the owner, Shawn McCormick, as a tribute to the legacy of his great-grandfather, Burton Hulon James (well known as B.H. or Huse). James played professional baseball from 1908 until 1919, when he and his wife, Estelle, settled on her family farm in Adairville, KY and established roots in the Adairville and Logan County community.

‍James Lake^TM is named after the limestone spring-fed lake created by B.H. and Estelle James and others at the edge of their Adairville farm. Because some of McCormick's favorite memories are fishing and skipping rocks with his great-grandmother at James Lake, he called his botanical spirits James Lake^TM. Today the lake is still fed by the limestone spring and is owned and maintained by the Red River Fish & Game Habitat.

Finally, McCormick wants to remind the reader to always pursue their passion! Sometimes the road to fulfilling your dream is as lengthy as aging fine whiskey. But if you're persistent and patient, do good work, and start with the end in mind --- dreams can be realized!