TORONTO — When most people think of Kentucky, they think of the Kentucky Derby – the thoroughbred horse race famously known as ‘the fastest two-minute two minutes in sports’.

Derby and horses aside, the southern state wants to set the record straight and emphasize there is so much more to Kentucky, adding bluegrass music, the Appalachian Mountains, bourbon, culture, outdoor adventure and a budding Kentucky-inspired culinary scene to the list.

The Kentucky Department of Tourism and Brand USA co-hosted a memorable event last Thursday in Toronto for a small group of travel partners with that message, plus a sampling of what you can expect in the beautiful ‘Bluegrass State’ of Kentucky.

The CC Lounge & Whisky Bar in downtown Toronto set the tone for the event, where hosts Chenelle McGee, International & Group Sales Director, Kentucky Department of Tourism, and Casey Canevari, Senior Manager, Global Trade Development (Canada) for Brand USA, provided destination updates followed by a group hands-on, creative session of bourbon cocktail-making.

“I want to help facilitate and build the product here in Canada for the Kentucky market,” said McGee. “The truth is I love everything about Kentucky, whether it be our outdoor culture with Red River Gorge, Mammoth Cave being the longest cave system in the world, all the way through the icons like Muhammad Ali.”

She added: “Kentucky is our culture, and Bourbon is part of that culture and allows us to tell our story.”

Another guest and Kentucky native on hand to address the group was Jean Michalak, aka ‘Whiskey Jean’, Partner Development Manager of Heaven Hill Distillery, a family-run distillery founded in 1935 in Bardstown, KY.

Whisky Jean shared historical insight into how bourbon originated, the processes involved, and how the state proudly produces 95% of the world’s bourbon.

“A lot of what we do incorporates bourbon into our messaging, whether it be culinary music theme, having Chris Stapleton at Bourbon & Beyond two years ago, you get a taste of what we offer in Kentucky today with the Bourbon is going to listen to live music so a lot of this product kind of crosses over,” said McGee.

Casey Canevari of Brand USA reiterated their commitment and support to go above and beyond with what Kentucky can do on its own and assist Kentucky Travel to develop recognized markets.

The event spilled into the evening with a fun-filled and sold-out concert at the Budweiser Stage by critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and Grammy-winner Chris Stapleton, a native of Lexington, KY, who was performing in Toronto for the first time.

For more information on the State of Kentucky and itinerary planning suggestions, visit www.kentuckytourism.com.