Michter’s American Whiskeys traces its roots back to 1753 and the state of Pennsylvania. The brand went out of business in 1990 but was resurrected in the mid-90s by Chatham Imports who relocated the production to Shively, Kentucky. Years later, Chatham purchased the historic Fort Nelson building (circa 1890) on Main Street in Louisville, part of the city’s Whiskey Row, for its visitor destination.

PNSA was hired to develop the visitor experience strategy, ensuring a unique, engaging and consistent brand encounter for each guest. The century-old Fort Nelson building is narrow, which can be challenging when planning for visitor tours that happen within the distillery space. Working in partnership with architects, PNSA made maximum use of elongated space to enhance the guest experience.  Every touchpoint on the visitor tour provides the opportunity to interact with the distilling process, whether touching the limestone that naturally filters water, or the olfactory room where guests can smell the primary aromas for each expression, or the custom labeling station for guests to personalize their own bottles.

That same attention to the visitor experience can be found in the main entrance, which houses all retail. Keeping with the historic theme of the brand and building, the wall space is efficiently used to organically display merchandise, along with all whiskeys, awards and accolades.

“You and PNSA did fantastic work and Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery would not be what it is if it weren’t for your brilliant work,” according to Joe Magliocco, President of Chatham Imports and owner of Michter’s.

Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery officially opened in January 2019 and PNSA is honored to partner with this legendary brand. Haven’t visited yet? Click here to book your tour!

Tagged as: The TasteMaker