As natives of Kentucky, Dr. Pat and Shane knew they wanted to pay homage to where they came from when naming their distillery. Danville is part of Kentucky’s Wilderness Trace District which sits on a historic part of the state, dating back to its founding by Daniel Boone.
Some more about the real Wilderness Trail: For centuries, Native Americans followed a game trail through the Cumberland Gap, calling it Athiamiowee, or “path of the armed ones.” Eventually, settlers and pioneers renamed it the Warrior’s Path. By 1775, a new path through the Gap into Kentucky was established, then replaced by a new wagon road in 1794. For over 50 years, this wagon road was used by settlers to reach Kentucky from the East. Over 200,000 pioneers traveled the Wilderness Road, enduring severe hardships, including cold and hunger. In 1958, the National Park Service reopened the “Great Kentucky Road,” the original route through the gap to be used as an interpretive trail. Today, the Cumberland Gap is the center of a cluster of historic sites, reconstructed forts, and museums devoted to the interpretation of the migration of settlers through the Appalachian Mountains. The rugged mountain region itself is rich in musical, historical, and craft traditions.