Calling Kentucky bourbon a bright spot on the state's manufacturing landscape, Gov. Steve Beshear on Thursday touted a new study that highlights the distilling industry's growing economic impact. The study, by University of Louisville economist Paul Coomes, found that the industry, directly and indirectly, employs about 9,000 people with an annual payroll of more than $413 million. Beshear said that during the past three years the bourbon industry has undergone its largest expansion since Prohibition.
