Western Kentucky native Bill Whitlow witnessed the destruction of Mayfield — his father’s hometown — after a series of deadly tornados in late 2021.
Whitlow and his wife, Morgan, are co-owners of Rich’s Proper Food & Drink, a bar and restaurant at the corner of Madison Avenue and W. 7th Street, which they opened in 2018.
The Whitlows used their visibility as small business owners in order to raise money for the people affected by the western Kentucky tornados by selling rare bottles of bourbon and other spirits. The fundraiser was a success, and laid the groundwork for future fundraisers, Bill Whitlow said.
Once the Whitlows learned about the floods that devastated eastern Kentucky late last month, they felt a similar call of duty.
“After what we were able to do the first time, we realized what we can raise,” Bill Whitlow said.
According to Whitlow, Wednesday’s fundraiser raised a “couple thousand dollars.”
This time around, Whitlow sold allocated bottles at premium prices. Whitlow expects to sell approximately $5,000 worth of spirits throughout the fundraiser.
The most expensive bottle of bourbon sold so far was a 1/5th of W.L. Weller C.Y.B.P., which went for $750. W.L. Weller C.Y.B.P. is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey distilled by Buffalo Trace in Frankfort.
“It’s been going really well this morning,” Whitlow said.
Whitlow said a long line began to wind form starting around 10:45 a.m. even though the fundraiser didn’t officially begin until 11:30 a.m.
“We don’t usually pull out these really, really nice bottles to sell,” Whitlow said. “We save those for shows. But something like this, we kind of broke open the vault so to say.”
For prospective volunteers looking to help, a list of needs can be found at governor.ky.gov/flood-resources.
Items from water bottles to diapers and callouts for volunteers can be found on the governor’s page. Volunteers are coordinated through groups established in the flood zone.
