Interview with Dinah Bird, April 22, 2021

Interview Summary

Dinah Bird, owner of Baker-Bird Winery and B. Bird Distillery, discusses her childhood and education in Lampasas, Texas. She talks about her career in healthcare before continuing her education and switching to the finance field. She talks about buying the oldest commercial winery in America, which she renamed Baker-Bird. Bird talks about her winery and its location in Augusta, Kentucky, a mile from the Ohio River. Bird talks about the Baker family and how they host reunions at the winery. All but one of the Baker-Bird wines are made from Kentucky grapes and have earned over 150 different medals from competitions both international and locally. She talks about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the business. Bird talks about how the bourbon industry has changed in the last 12 years. Bird talks about women-owned craft distilleries and how the alcohol industries are just now focusing more on women. Bird talks about how the historic component of her business, Baker-Bird, is what makes them unique. She talks about industry growth and the future of the industry.

Interview Keyword

Oral history Women in bourbon Kentucky Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Baker-Bird Winery B. Bird Distillery Augusta (Ky.) Genealogy Lampasas (Tex.) Childhood Families.

Interview LC Subject

COVID-19 (Disease) Alcohol industry. Education. Work. Careers. Occupations. Professions. Vocation. Alcoholic beverages. Distilleries--Kentucky Bourbon whiskey Tourism. Women in the whiskey industry Kentucky Distillers' Association Consumers. Branding (Marketing)

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Interview Usage

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