Bootleggers, Baptists and bourbon: The hidden tax shift in Kentucky’s House Bill 9

By: Ken Miller

Outlets: Kentucky Lantern

Published: March 26, 2026

Words: 1,318

Last Updated: 4 months ago

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Correction

This commentary has been updated to correct an error in the original version.

The 11% wholesale excise tax applies only to spirits sold within Kentucky; exports are deducted before any tax liability is calculated. The original commentary incorrectly said that the 11% tax applied to exports.

The mechanism for exporting Kentucky’s bourbon tax burden to out-of-state consumers is the ad valorem barrel tax on aging inventory, …

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