On the quiet hills of Gethsemane, Kentucky, a new chapter in bourbon country began — not with a blueprint or a business plan, but with a vision. Wally saw possibilities in what others had forgotten. Once home to a bustling distilling community, these grounds had fallen silent for decades. Yet beneath the weathered distillery ruins and rolling hills, the spirit of Kentucky craftsmanship still lingered — waiting to be awakened.
What started as an idea soon became a calling: to revitalize a historic distilling site and reimagine it for a new generation. With faith, perseverance, and a deep respect for the past, Wally began restoring the property that would become Log Still Distillery, proudly bearing the DSP-KY-47 designation once held by the F.M. Head Distillery.
From the first pour to the final brick, Log Still was built to bring people together — to share stories, music, and moments that matter. It’s more than a distillery; it’s a gathering place. A return to community. A celebration of what happens when heritage and hospitality meet in perfect harmony.
Today, the hum of the stills, the laughter of guests gathered on the porches of our Bed & Breakfast homes, and the echoes of music from The Amp fill the air once again — proof that bourbon’s truest sound isn’t just in the glass, but in the people and the place that give it life.
Take just one sip of our spirits, and you’ll immediately grasp the unique heritage of this part of Central Kentucky. It's a place where great distillers, some of them our own family members, have proudly called home. Bourbon, the lifeblood of this region, once flowed freely, paving a road to prosperity for nearly a century before Prohibition changed the course of history.
Now, we’re forging new roads for generations to come at our old Kentucky home by bringing bourbon back to Gethsemane. Guided by Wally Dant, Log Still is firmly built on faith and family. We fill each bottle with respect while honoring the history of bourbon and our family itself. Ever mindful that faith, family, community, and bourbon pave the way for future generations.
We invite you to visit us in Gethsemane. Sure, you’ll find a lot shiny and new, but you’ll feel something deep and soulful.
J.W. "WALLY" DANT
We call him founder, foreman, and fearless leader. You can call him Wally.
As president/distiller, Wally Dant works hard every day to bring his vision for Log Still Distillery to life. And to Wally, it’s about more than quality spirits and an unforgettable destination. It’s about love of God, family, community and bourbon.
Wally is rebuilding and reinventing his family’s historic distillery property, the very same land in southern Nelson County where his many family members once made spirits. “To be able to put your name as a distiller on a bottle is pretty humbling.”
Log Still is Wally’s way of honoring his family and giving back to the community he credits for providing his family with values and love. And drawing from years of experience in the health care and liquor industries, this business-savvy entrepreneur is the right man for the job. Wally dreams big, and he won’t stop until he sees those dreams come to fruition.
If he’s not hard at work shepherding the Log Still brands, you can likely find him making garden-fresh salsa, hot sauce, ketchup from the homegrown garden, or cooking up a chef-like meal for friends and family.
J.W. "WALLY" DANT
We call him founder, foreman, and fearless leader. You can call him Wally.
As president/distiller, Wally Dant works hard every day to bring his vision for Log Still Distillery to life. And to Wally, it’s about more than quality spirits and an unforgettable destination. It’s about love of God, family, community and bourbon.
Wally is rebuilding and reinventing his family’s historic distillery property, the very same land in southern Nelson County where his many family members once made spirits. “To be able to put your name as a distiller on a bottle is pretty humbling.”
Log Still is Wally’s way of honoring his family and giving back to the community he credits for providing his family with values and love. And drawing from years of experience in the health care and liquor industries, this business-savvy entrepreneur is the right man for the job. Wally dreams big, and he won’t stop until he sees those dreams come to fruition.
If he’s not hard at work shepherding the Log Still brands, you can likely find him making garden-fresh salsa, hot sauce, ketchup from the homegrown garden, or cooking up a chef-like meal for friends and family.
History of the Log Still
In 1836, Joseph Washington Dant began distilling Kentucky bourbon. The young Dant could not afford to purchase a copper still and instead hollowed out an old poplar log to create his bourbon. The hollowed log was used as a pot to hold the beer. From there, steam heat would be used to warm the beer, which is where the phrase “running it off a log” originates from.
Dant sold enough of his log still whiskey to eventually upgrade to a copper still, but he never forgot his roots. The Log Still name is a nod to remembering where we came from and honoring our past.
