The Last Refuge

After conquering the worlds of music and poetry, Grammy Award and Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan tried his hand at whiskey. Working with Chicago-based Spirits Investment Partners, Dylan released the first bottles of Heaven’s Door whiskey (a nod to the living legend’s 1973 song “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”) in 2018. 

Dylan’s foray into food and drink expanded with the 2024 opening of The Last Refuge, a restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky’s vibrant NuLu neighborhood. The area offers an eclectic mix of boutiques, restaurants and galleries that complement what The Last Refuge is doing inside a repurposed German Methodist church built in 1880. Dubbed the High Church of Bourbon, the space boasts a cool, urban vibe with its Victorian-era ambience, vintage chandeliers and dramatic patterns and colors. 

The red brick building with its towering steeple, original stained-glass windows, soaring ceilings and choir loft offers gathering spaces packed with comfy furniture for listening to music, sharing a bite and having a drink. 

Start with an appetizer such as the Parishioner’s Popcorn, drizzled with white truffle oil, herbs and Parmesan cheese. If you’re looking for something more substantial, order one of the crunchy, thin-crust pizzas with names like Seven Deadly Cheeses and Purgatory. A couple choices of salads and two sandwiches round out the small menu. 

Bourbon makes its way as an ingredient into dishes such as the Friar’s Bacon appetizer, featuring salty bacon with a bourbon, maple syrup and chili crisp. Bourbon vinaigrette dressing comes with the Cardinal’s Salad, and Bourbon Chocolate Balls are a dessert choice.

Shelves along the walls are lined with 1,500 bourbon varieties, including Heaven’s Door, which is distilled an hour away in Pleasureville, Kentucky. It’s featured in the Lily of the West cocktail crafted with vanilla maple syrup, orange and tobacco bitters with an orange twist. 600 E. Market St., Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 502/208-4900, thelastrefuge.com