Northern KY Sierra Club's October Meeting - The Bourbon Barrel Road Show

Northern KY Sierra Club’s October General Meeting will be on October 27, 2025, featuring a presentation by Dave Cooper titled "The Bourbon Barrel Road Show". The meeting will be held 6:30-8pm in the Newport Public Library's “Presidents Meeting Room" on the library’s lower floor. Newport Library is at 901 E. 6th St in Newport KY, across the street from Newport High School. There is a large off-street parking lot.

Worldwide demand for Kentucky bourbon is increasing pressure on Kentucky’s precious hardwood forests. By law, bourbon must be aged in new, charred barrels made from mature white oak trees. But white oak trees are very slow growing and they are not growing back after logging at the rate needed to supply future demand for barrels. Millions of white oak trees are being cut down now for bourbon barrels. Is there a solution? Will the “bourbon boom” soon be replaced by a “bourbon bust?” Our presenter Dave Cooper will try to provide some insights and answers! Dave is a long-time member of Sierra Club's Bluegrass Group in central KY. He writes the informational and entertaining column called “Soapbox" which appears in every CUMBERLAND newsletter.

We reserved the Presidents Room starting at 6pm so feel welcome to arrive early to meet and socialize with other members and friends! Our reservation ends at 8:45pm. It is okay for attendees to bring and eat their own food or drinks. The Presidents Room is on the library’s lower floor, accessible by an elevator near the upstairs circulation desk.