merit
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA), which manages the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® (KBT®), tasked Lewis with reimagining the KBT®’s brand and website. As the Bourbon Trail™ approached its 25th anniversary, the KDA sought strategic advice to prepare for the next era of visitors. Lewis developed an all-new brand identity for the KBT® with these goals in mind: elevate the brand, simplify planning, and enrich the experience. The new logo embraces the rich colors and textures of the Commonwealth’s Bourbon legacy and features typography that’s symbolic of iconic trailhead signs, evoking a keen sense of adventure and reflecting the new and elevated offerings at distilleries. The new digital experience helps guests explore and prepare for their trip like never before; the ability to Build Your Own Bourbon Trail™ allows visitors to explore a wide range of possible itineraries before they ever arrive in Kentucky.
What began in 1999 as a trail of 7 distilleries, the KBT® has evolved into an experience that boasts 46 distilleries and attracted over 2.5 million visitors last year. While the KBT® has attracted visitors from surrounding states, we identified an opportunity to extend its appeal to new affluent audiences. Lewis conducted in-depth interviews with KBT® leadership and frontline employees at KBT® attractions. These interviews along with IQS data research revealed:
Consumers did not recognize the KBT®’s 2 trails - the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour®, which featured smaller distilleries, and the original Kentucky Bourbon Trail®;
An environment that promoted quantity over quality regarding distillery visits spurred by a Passport Program that incentivized guests to get a booklet stamp at each distillery visited;
Guests were largely uneducated around planning trips to the KBT®.
These pain points lead our key objectives:
Develop a new KBT® brand that re-establishes Kentucky's authority in the world of Bourbon.
Educate visitors on how to plan their trip for the best experience possible.
Attract an audience that is able and willing to spend more time and money at the KBT®.
After conducting research and identifying primary issues, Lewis developed a comprehensive strategy to transform the Trail™. Lewis advised the KDA to retire the Passport Program and combine the separate Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® into one, simplified statewide Bourbon Trail™ experience. The new program has encouraged guests to focus on exploration, not completion, of the Trail™ so that visitors may savor elevated experiences from each distillery member that demonstrate why Kentucky is the true home of Bourbon. The restructured Trail™ program in conjunction with the new logo and digital experience achieve our key objectives.
Our top 3 results include:
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association created the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® pilgrimage in 1999 to educate visitors on the art and science behind making America’s only native spirit. It was America’s first spirits tour and has since welcomed more than 18 million visitors from around all 50 states and dozens of countries.
To capture the rich heritage of the KBT®, Lewis drew inspiration from Kentucky’s geography and landscape to shape the brand’s texture and form. The colors of the Bourbon-crafting process, like copper and oxidized green, influenced the brand’s color scheme, while the typography reflects trailhead signs and a sense of adventure.
AI was used to develop the voiceover audio throughout the project.
