Somerset, Kentucky just got its weekend planned. Horse Soldier Farms — the 240-acre destination distillery that Mark Nutsch and the American Freedom Distillery team have been building over the past few years — throws open its gates for the first time on Independence Day weekend, and they aren’t doing it quietly.
The two-day celebration runs Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4, 2026, timed to land on America’s 250th birthday. Multi-Platinum country artist Chris Janson takes the stage Friday night. The Platinum-certified duo LoCash closes things out Saturday. Between the concerts, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) runs a sanctioned event — the PBR American Freedom Invitational — bringing some of the top riders in the sport to what will be the property’s first public event. Fireworks finale on the 4th.
And, naturally, there’s bourbon. Horse Soldier walked out of the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition with three double gold medals, and the new farm is built around letting people see how the whiskey is made — state-of-the-art production facility, barrel aging program, guided distillery tours, tasting rooms, and open-air gathering spaces across the 240 acres.
“This is about bringing people together and creating something worthy of the moment,” Mark Nutsch, co-founder of Horse Soldier Bourbon and American Freedom Distillery, said in the announcement. “As America approaches its 250th birthday, we wanted Horse Soldier Farms to open in a way that feels true to who we are and true to this part of the country. We’re building a place centered around hospitality, community, music, bourbon, and shared experience. This will be the biggest small-town Fourth of July celebration in the country.”
For anyone new to the brand: Horse Soldier Bourbon’s name comes from one of the more remarkable chapters of post-9/11 American history. Days after the towers fell, small teams of Army Special Forces were inserted into northern Afghanistan, and some of them ended up fighting on horseback alongside the Northern Alliance. The film 12 Strong and the CNN documentary Legion of Brothers tell pieces of that story; America’s Response Monument at Ground Zero in New York memorializes it. Nutsch was one of those team leaders. The bourbon — and now the farm — is the second act.
PBR Commissioner Sean Gleason said hosting the event at Horse Soldier Farms felt like “a natural next step” after the partnership with Horse Soldier Bourbon launched last year. “Bull riding, bourbon, live music, and the spirit of America all belong together,” he said, “and there’s no better stage for that than this Fourth of July celebration in Kentucky.”
Tickets — VIP and General Admission — are available now through the Horse Soldier Bourbon website. If you’re anywhere within driving range of Somerset and looking for a Fourth that lands somewhere between a country show and a state fair, this one earns the trip.
The Conversation