Elijah Craig – Bourbon & Religious Freedom

Most widely known for his innovation and contributions distilling bourbon in Kentucky, Elijah Craig was also involved in the fight for religious freedom in America during the American Revolution. Born in Orange County, Virginia to Tolever Craig and Mary Hawkins Craig in 1738 he began spreading the gospel in the early 1760’s and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1771. Preaching against the established Anglican Church he was arrested and imprisoned twice in Culpeper and Orange Counties. His brothers, Joseph & Lewis Craig led the Traveling Church party from Spotsylvania County in 1781 to central Kentucky where Elijah followed a few short years later in 1786.
After this move he began his entrepreneur career acquiring approximately one thousand acres of land that would eventually become Georgetown, Kentucky in 1790. There Elijah was credited for establishing one of the first paper mill, some of the earliest saw and gristmills as well as a ferry across the Kentucky River. Craig continued to preach for years, almost until his death on May 18, 1808. His legacy lives on through the Elijah Craig bourbon brand acquired by Heaven Hill Distillery in 1976. They released the first Elijah Craig whiskey in 1986 and continue to offer consumers high quality premium spirits that honor his contributions to American history.
Sources:
https://elijahcraig.com/our-history
https://whiskyadvocate.com/the-true-story-of-elijah-craig
https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.asp?b=Craig_Elijah
The History of Kentucky, published in 1874 and written by Lewis and Richard Collins