The Most Unique Bar I Visited In Kentucky Serves Up 100-Year-Old Liquor

I went to Covington, Kentucky, in search of bourbon. The delicious spirit has defined the state's history, so I happily hopped around bars, and even blended my own bottle at Wenzel Distillery. But out of all the wonderful Bourbon Line spots I visited, Revival Vintage Bottle Shop & Bar was the most unique. As you walk in, you enter a dimly lit space centered around a wooden bar lined with stools. Behind it, rows of liquor bottles are displayed on mirror-lined shelves. Pretty standard except that, here, vintage bottles stand next to modern ones. 

Revival was established in 2020, just two years after Kentucky passed a law allowing individuals to sell old liquor bottles directly to licensed retailers. Co-owners Brad Bonds and Shannon Smith seized this chance to start collecting vintage liquors, many coming from people's forgotten cabinets, and some that are over a hundred years old. "We're kind of a foster home for bottles. This is the stop until they find their parents," Bonds playfully told me. The team also hunts for new but rare bourbons, and noteworthy modern spirits.  

Some of the bottles are kept for the bar and served to regular customers at affordable prices. This democratic approach sets the business apart from other vintage shops that focus on wealthy collectors. "While a Lighthouse Scotch from 1960 could cost $150 to $350 an ounce [elsewhere], we're serving it at $10 an ounce," Bonds explained. Besides glasses of straight liquor, the bar serves delicious vintage cocktails made with period-appropriate spirits.

Brad Bonds' love for "dusty" bottles is as obvious as it is contagious. For him, older spirits are simply superior. "[Bottles] used to have better ingredients, better alcohol. Everything then was more organic. Anything modern is [akin to] McDonald's," he said as I sat at the bar ogling the bottles behind him. To prove his point, he served me a Bacardi Añejo (a classic Puerto Rican rum) from the 1970s and its modern counterpart. He was right. The older bottle had a smoother flavor and tasted much better. 

When he saw that I was convinced, he invited me to see the second floor, where collectors can find large shelves displaying unique and whimsical bottles. I walked around looking at the treasure trove, delighted to see bottles shaped like cars, the Statue of Liberty, or a couple dressed in traditional Greek clothes. Bonds hopped behind a small bar and served me a shot of Marie Brizard Creme de Cacao Chouao a la Vanille from the 1940s or '50s. It was sweet, creamy, and unlike anything else I'd ever tried.

Before leaving, I got a tiny bottle of circa-1930s G.A. Jourde Cordial-Médoc made near Bordeaux. I'm keeping it closed — but only until I can meet up with my best friends from the time I lived in the French city. After all, Revival taught me that vintage spirits shouldn't just be collected and kept on a shelf for display. Rather, they should be opened, enjoyed, and, preferably, shared.