A Good Cigar, A Welcoming Community At Leaf And Barrel Cigar & Bourbon Lounge
Written by Kathy Witt
Here are a few truths about cigar smokers:
Cigar smokers are united in their passion for a good cigar.
Cigar smokers know no strangers.
Cigar smokers are a very welcoming community.
“Economic, racial and religious differences seem to disappear when two people are sharing a cigar,” said Larry Ledbetter, owner of the new Leaf and Barrel Cigar & Bourbon Lounge in Georgetown. “There are no strangers in a cigar lounge. You will find a warm welcome, every time.”
The vision for the Leaf and Barrel Cigar & Bourbon Lounge took root eight years ago. Larry dreamed of a place where cigar smokers could get together and enjoy their passion. In 2016, he and his wife, Jan, came close to purchasing a cigar lounge in Hilton Head, SC.
Luckily for Georgetown, that plan didn’t come to fruition, giving Larry the opportunity to begin working on a plan to create a cigar lounge from scratch.
In the meantime, 2020 rolled around, COVID hit, and Larry started building furniture. This led to his crossing paths with Charles Graves, the owner of Graves Lumber Yard, where Larry purchased supplies for his business.
“The Ledbetters and Charles and his wife, Joan, teamed up to form the partnership to make Leaf & Barrel Cigar and Bourbon Lounge a reality,” said Larry.
The cigar lounge opened first, in mid-February. The bar followed, opening at the end of March. Already, community is forming.
“Community is a huge part of any cigar lounge. People are forming friendships, regulars are coming in every day, sometimes multiple times a day.”
“Many people have come to the lounge having never smoked a cigar, and have quickly become regulars,” he added. “Husband and wives who came together and started sharing are now developing their own favorites.”
The interior of the lounge is relaxed, open and airy, with groupings of cushy leather sofas and oversized chairs scattered about a concrete floor cozied up with rugs, a smattering of flatscreen TVs and the bourbon bar anchoring the space.
“Cigar smokers like to have a warm place to smoke in the winter and a cool place in the summer,” said Larry.
All pair perfectly with the bar’s bourbon selections—currently numbering 30 and growing weekly—and a visit to Georgetown.
The brands in Leaf and Barrel’s humidor are constantly growing. In addition to well-known brands like Fuente and Oliva, the cigar bar carries many boutique brands.
“Boutique brands produce less than a million cigars annually,” said Larry. “This wide variety allows our customers a great range of products.”
Membership is not a requirement to smoke in the Leaf & Barrel’s lounge, although membership is offered for one of the 48 humidified lockers for storing cigars. Members also receive a variety of discounts, including 10 percent off cigars every day and 15 percent off boxes, plus a $200 humidor credit. This allows patrons to get the cigars to fill their locker.
“Every day is a perfect day for a cigar,” says Larry. “Sometimes it’s a stop-in and smoke after work; sometimes it’s a buy-and-go-home to smoke later in the day.
“On Saturdays we have live music so that has been a big draw as well.”
So come on in for a good cigar paired with a fine Kentucky bourbon. Share in the conversation, find new friends and join one very welcoming community.
Find events on Leaf and Barrel’s Facebook page. For more information, call 502-642-8044.
Author: Kathy Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
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Storytelling with Jeff Mattingly of Bourbon 30: How to craft bourbon
Bourbon distiller Jeff Mattingly appreciates being mere steps from where bourbon whiskey was (allegedly) first made way back in 1789 – that is, on the banks of Royal Spring, located right across the street from Bourbon 30 in what is now known as Royal Spring Park.
Tricia Brill and Jeff Mattingly of Bourbon 30
“It’s an honor being the first distillery since Baptist minister Rev. Elijah Craig was here in Georgetown,” says Mattingly, founder of the family-owned and operated distillery.
"Birthplace of Bourbon" in Downtown Georgetown
Mattingly takes his role as master crafter and Bourton 30’s proximity to where it all began seriously, bottling small batches and never replicating even the distillery’s most popular blends.
“We bottle when the barrels are at their unique, individual, optimal flavor and taste,” he said. “We craft barrels individually, challenging the barrel and the juice that’s in it, to build a story that produces a great profile or blend.”
Mattingly founded Bourbon 30 in 2010 – more than 220 years after Craig made his historic discovery that put Georgetown in the spotlight as the (supposed) Birthplace of Bourbon. The name he chose has nothing to do with alcohol proof and everything to do with a family joke he and his brothers played on his dad. Seems the boys would pinch Dad’s bourbon when his back was turned, saying “it’s bourbon 30.”
Bourbon aficionados generally ascribe to the philosophy that “it’s bourbon 30” somewhere, so the name is particularly well suited.
Anyway, Mattingly had just retired from the auto industry and was looking for a place to bring his artisan cooking talents, something of a family legacy. Voila! At a distillery, he could focus on crafting each and every individual bourbon barrel to a well-balanced profile that would result in a great bourbon whiskey taste.
His secret? Well, he’s not saying – but did you really expect him to? What he will reveal is that everybody holds the secret to a fine Kentucky bourbon . . . within their own palate.
“That’s because we invite individuals to Bourbon 30 to create their own blends based on their palates,” he explained. “No two palates are alike, so we work with guests on a personal level.”
Indeed, a visit to Bourbon 30 is as unique as an individual’s palate. The distillery offers an experience not found at other such venues and visitors don’t have to be a part of a group or a retailer to do a barrel pick or blend. Mattingly’s vision was to give Bourbon 30 guests the opportunity to spend time with the crafter in blending their own bottle, to try uncut, unfiltered bourbons and whiskies straight from the barrel.
Almost certainly something the Rev. Craig would heartily approved.
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