Louisville Homes and Gardens: Entertaining Spaces Feature
If you’re lucky enough to score an invitation to Jon Cecil’s basement bar, you might be impressed by the 150 bottles amassed there. But behind the sliding bookcase door, jaws will drop!
Guests ushered into The Card Catalog Speakeasy hidden inside are “completely dumbstruck in awe” at over 1000 bottles of bourbon lining the shelves. A late 1800s card catalog from an old toy store company holds an index card for each bourbon, typed out with the bourbon name, distillery, and year. Guests add a stamp with the date of their signature, and tasting notes for each selection they try.
“I decided from the beginning of the pandemic in February (2020) that I wanted to build a speakeasy in my basement. I had been thinking about this room for the last ten years, giving my bourbon collection a truly deserving home and display.” Jon and his Uncle Mike tore down a wall and put it back up to create a larger 13’ by 10’ space. Jon drew it out and measured everything, right down to each electrical outlet. Completed in July of 2020, the speakeasy features dark wood, period lighting, and black and gold art deco decor for an authentic Prohibition-era Gatsby feel. “I designed the entire room to feel like you were stepping back in time.”
Jon Cecil is the General Manager of Liquor Barn in Middletown Commons and has a hospitality background in hotel management. He enjoys making people feel welcome at work and at his home. Jon started collecting, drinking, and educating others about bourbon in 2008. “I only drink bourbon with others present,” says Jon, “so during COVID, I cut back.” Now that life is returning to some sense of normalcy, “I don’t take hosting for granted ever. I have a greater appreciation of how to enjoy bourbon.”
Jons favorite bottle is an A.H. Hirsch 16 year, of which he currently has two versions. He keeps some Van Winkles on hand as well. Jon is particularly fond of Four Roses 2017 Al Young 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch with a nose of caramel and honeysuckle, flavors of fresh peaches and apricots, fig, and oak, and “a hint of mint” finish. He has collected different international versions of Blanton’s Limited Edition Single Barrel to spell out “Blanton’s” with the toppers of overseas releases.
Jon Recommends Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 80 Proof as approachable for those new to bourbon drinking. From there, progress to Old Forester 1910 and then Four Roses Small Batch Select. Old Forester 1910 is a double-barreled 93 Proof bourbon with sweet vanilla and caramel notes. Four Roses Small Batch Select comes in at 104 proof and is fruitier, spicier, and more complex.
Should this journey inspire you to build your own basement bar or speakeasy, Jon encourages you to “do what you’re passionate about,” stay true to the time, and true to your vision. “Think about the little things before you do the big things.”