By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
July 31, 2022, Wayne and I visited Second Sight Spirits for the first time. We were in Cincinnati for a weekend event with the Reds and planned three distillery visits within our allotted time. Second Sight was our final stop on a Sunday afternoon.
Located in Ludlow, KY which is just south of Cincinnati, OH, on the south side of the Ohio River, this quaint town is approximately 2 square miles and was incorporated in 1864. Elm St., where Second Sight is located, is definitely a happening part of this small community.
Distillery Tour & Visit
We learned that founders Rick Couch and Carus Waggoner have been friends since grade school. Their backgrounds of Rick being a mechanical engineer and Carus an industrial designer let them to careers on the Las Vegas Strip. Carus shared stories of their time in Vegas and working on Cirque Du Soleil’s LOVE as well as Viva Elvis. I won’t share the full story of how they got involved with assembling a very large still, you will need to go on the tour to hear all about that!
He shared their story of living their vision of creating an artisan distillery to focus on local products in a fun and innovative way. We followed their distillation process, toured the rick closet and storage area. All that they do is accomplished in a very small footprint.
The energy and creativity of Rick and Carus are found in every aspect of their business. Not only do they create a fun and creative experience for visitors, but every employee that we have spoken with always says it is truly a family and they love being a part of it. The culture that they have created helps them to achieve their goal of being a company that excites, engages, and entertains.
Time and time again, when people ask about our favorite distillery or experience along the Trail, Wayne always says that his most memorable and most unique is Second Sight Spirits. We highly recommend that you carve out time in your Trail planning to include a visit to Ludlow, KY!
Photos from the tour: Worm crafted from an old street lamp and other parts found on Craig’s List. Their Rick Closet – perfect for their small barrel sizes. Special spices and grains in containers. Founder Carus Waggoner sharing their story. The Mystic Mustache Ride (yes, it runs) in the bar area of the lounge.
Gift Shop
They have a great selection of shirts. We purchased a pin for my distillery hat, an ornament for our bourbon tree, a glass, and T-shirts.
Bottles Available for Sale
In addition to their Oak Eye Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, Second Sight Spirits also produce a Hazelnut Liquor (Queen MAB) and several varieties of rum including: unbarreled rum, spiced rum, smoked cherry rum, and bourbon barreled rum. We opted to bring home a variety of their spirits.
You can review our tasting notes of Second Sight Spirits Oak Eye Bourbon here.
Distillery Trail Statistics
Second Sight Spirits was our 13th new distillery. It is on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour Northern area. It was our 5th craft distillery and our 9th Kentucky Bourbon Trail stamp.
Pro Tip: Plan to visit other nearby distilleries. With advance planning, it is possible to create a terrific 3-4 day weekend trip.
Pensive Distilling 4.0 miles
New Riff Distilling 5.6 miles
South/East
Augusta Distillery 44.5 miles
Old Pogue Distillery 61.9 miles
South/West
Boone County Distilling 17 miles
Neeley Family Distillery 42.8 miles
Your Bourbon Journey 