The American Craft Spirits Association’s Heartland Spirits Competition awarded three prizes to Casey Jones Distillery on Wednesday. The 2021 competition was the first for the Christian County craft distillery.
Casey Jones Distillery’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon received two prizes — Best in State and Gold-Best in Category for bourbon whiskey. It tied with a New York distillery for the gold prize. In addition, Casey Jones’ Small Batch Bourbon won a silver prize in the bourbon category.

The American Craft Spirts Association is a nonprofit trade group. Its biennial contest invites entries from across the country.
“All entrants are scored in a blind-judging process to compete for Best in State and awards in various subcategories,” Peg Hays, who co-owns Casey Jones with her husband, Arlon Casey Jones, said in a news release.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.