PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY RHONDA SHIRES
If you still think of bourbon as a “man’s drink,” the national organization Bourbon Women wants you to reconsider. This week, the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati chapter hosts its “Toasted & Tasted” event tomorrow, Thursday, October 15, at Smoke Justis in Covington.
The paired dinner features four Kentucky Peerless whiskey pours, and a four-course meal curated by the Smoke Justis culinary team. Ellie Reed, a distiller at Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., will guide attendees through each pour, sharing insights into the distillation process, flavor profiles, and stories about the brand. Throughout the evening, participants will have the opportunity to connect with fellow bourbon enthusiasts and members of Bourbon Women while deepening their appreciation for Kentucky whiskey. The menu includes smoked gouda & poblano arancini with bacon jam and poblano crema, peach and candied pecan salad (arugula, peach, pecan, goat cheese, onion and vinaigrette), and brisket burnt ends (with Cherry Old Fashioned BBQ sauce, gouda grits, shallot, and broccolini). Tickets are $60 for members and $85 for non-members.
Rhonda Shires, a branch ambassador for Bourbon Women’s Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati chapter, says she got involved with the organization while she was preparing to open Bourbon Trails & Bluegrass Tales, a bourbon experience company, in 2024.
“I discovered Bourbon Women and was fascinated by how many women were helping shape the industry,” she explains. “As I was starting my business, I met women following their own passions who helped me believe I could do it, too. Bourbon brought me in, but the women, friendships, and shared love of learning made it so much more.”
Started by industry veteran Peggy Noe Stevens—who worked with the Kentucky Distillers’ Association to develop the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 1999—Bourbon Women celebrated its 15th year in operation earlier this year and has more than 120 chapters across the country. The organization’s biggest gathering is SIPosium, held in Louisville each August, which gathers more than 500 women for four days of distillery visits and educational programming.
“Bourbon is so much more than what’s in the glass, and Bourbon Women is so much more than an organization” says Shires, who earned an executive bourbon steward certification through Moonshine University in Louisville and was selected as a SIP Scholar for last summer’s conference. “It’s a community that celebrates the strong women shaping this industry and helps others see a place for themselves in it, whether that means reaching people around the world or welcoming one woman who never knew we existed. I know how much that discovery can change a life because it changed mine.”
The Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati chapter, which currently has 93 members, plans to host 10 programs next year, including casual in-person meetups at local bourbon spots. Members can also attend nearby Kentucky branch events and national virtual programs, typically offered monthly.
For more information, visit bourbonwomen.org.
