Story and Photos provided by Dr. Brad Olson

The “CLD 320 Distillery District Marketing Project” was a course-based collaboration between members of the Distillery District Business Owners Association (DDBOA) and the University of Kentucky (UK) . The project emerged from an initial connection between Macaulay Minton and Cole Turbyville of Dark Arts Whiskey House and Dan Kahl of UK’s Dept. of Community & Leadership Development regarding business owner engagement, district-level marketing, and a vision for future development. In January 2026, Brad Olson (CLD faculty and CLD 320 instructor) joined Minton, Turbyville, and Kahl to discuss how students in CLD 320 (Community & Communication: Exploring Their Intersections) could assist the DDBOA with its priorities.

The group agreed on a semester-long project to help develop a collective, district-level brand identity and marketing strategy that the DDBOA could then use to boost the District’s visibility, attract customers, guide future development, and demonstrate its own work and value to current and prospective members. The project proposal identified three main areas of work:

1. Conduct background research to identify district-level marketing frameworks, effective tactics, and successful case studyexamples.
2. Engage DD business owners to understand their experiences, perceptions, preferences, and future vision/ideas regarding theDD.
3. Propose ideas for developing a district-wide brand identity and marketing strategy based on the above background research andbusiness owner engagement.

For more information on the local organizations and businesses involved:

Lexington Distillery District

Dark Arts Whiskey