Bulleit opens visitors' center at Shelbyville distillery

Bulleit Distilling Co. has opened its visitors' center at its Shelbyville distillery in Kentucky.

The production facility in north-central Kentucky is joining the growing bourbon tourism business in the state that produces about 95% of the world's bourbon.

Bulleit officials say the distillery's Visitor Experience opened to the public on Tuesday.

The distillery, just outside Shelbyville, is slightly more than 30 miles from downtown Louisville and Lexington - the state's two largest cities.

The Visitor Experience includes guided tours, a cocktail bar and an opportunity for visitors 21 years or older to design a customized Bulleit label to apply to their own bottles.

Parent company Diageo says it has invested about $150 million in the distillery and visitors' center, generating more than 75 jobs in the past five years.