Support Local: Merle's Whiskey Kitchen
The COVID-19 virus has affected all of us in some way. Hopefully, you or your family members are not some of the infected. Even those not suffering physically are impacted in many other ways. One such impact we have seen in each of our cities and neighborhoods is the mandated closure of restaurants to all but carry-out or delivery orders. This is especially painful for the locally-owned establishments.
We at the ABV Network and The Whiskey Corner would like to do what we can to help promote the most Bourbon-friendly restaurants especially during this time. Today, I’ll feature Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen in Louisville.
Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen is one of my favorite Bourbon restaurants. I go back with this place to the days when it was known as “Manny & Merle’s”. (Don’t know what happened to Manny). The menu is a solid selection of tacos, fried chicken, burgers, wings and don’t forget the candied-bourbon-maple bacon! While the food is consistently satisfying, the bar is the star at Merle’s. They have a deep and diverse Bourbon list and the stuff on the list is actually on the shelf. Merle’s also has a great list of private selection whiskies available and the pricing is always reasonable. It is the Merle’s tradition that any pour (whether Old Crow or Pappy 23) can be a double for just $2 more.
I have some great memories from Merle’s. My favorite is sitting at the bar with my buddy, Tom, and finishing off the last green label Old Fitzgerald bottled-in-bond. It took some work and dedication to kill that bottle, but we were up to the challenge.
Merle’s was going to be part of the ABV Network Crew Club pub crawl scheduled for this Saturday (March 28). Sadly, that had to be cancelled. I’m certain some good memories would have been made there, too.
When the governor closed down all restaurants in the state, those that heavily relied on liquor sales were hurt the worst. Merle’s tried to make carry out work for a few days, but with potential customers working from home (rather than downtown) and not event or convention traffic, it just didn’t seem to work for them.
So, unfortunately, we can’t support Merle’s through ordering carry out right now, but there is something we can still do to “support local”. Merle’s is selling gift cards at this time with 100% of gift card sales going to a relief fund they established for displaced employees. You can find more information and purchase gift cards by clicking here.
When these mandatory shutdowns are lifted, I am looking forward to “grand re-opening” celebrations with a lot of local Bourbon restaurants and bars. One of the first places I’ll be visiting will be Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen. I hope to see you there!
