Grab a friend and head to Whiskey Barrel

Travis Cullen likes whiskey and he wanted to share his affinity at his new restaurant and bar, Whiskey Barrel Pub and Eatery in Prairie City. At the former Stampede location in downtown, Whiskey Barrel has already become a town favorite in just the few weeks it has been open.

“I don’t know if I am coming or going right now it has been so busy,” Cullen said. “I’m sure it will come to a head and calm down a bit but the newness hasn’t worn off yet so we’ve been overwhelmingly busy but I feel we have been keeping up for the most part.”

The idea for the pub and eatery came after Cullen saw the location on Craig’s List and decided to give it a look. Having an interest in old buildings and restoring them, the stuttered restaurant was perfect for the theme he had in mind.

“The bones were here it just needed some updating. I’m not a big fan of carpet in bars,” Cullen said. “We decided we liked the community and the Facebook page had a huge following so we pulled the trigger. We bought it, gutted it, redid everything and I think it turned out pretty cool.”

The front of the establishment he wanted to keep a restaurant feel but that back is where his love of whiskey shined. Through the transformation Cullen kept the original bar but upgraded it with epoxy and tin. He also brought his theme to life through the handy work of Bondurant Custom Furniture.

“I wanted the back to look like you were walking into a barrel house. I always do the whiskey trails in Kentucky so I kind of wanted it to look like that,” Cullen said. “We had all of the furniture made out of Templeton Rye whiskey barrels. Bondurant Custom Furniture did that for us, the bar stools, chairs, tables, lighting, they did all of that. We usually do themes on all of the places, the last one was an Irish bar and we went whiskey on this one.”

The two areas are also now separated by a wall and door instead of traffic flowing freely between the two. Cullen said he wanted the back to be a lounge area for those 21 and older.

“If it is super, super busy on a Friday we aren’t going to not sit somebody in back with a child but we did want separate area, we wanted a dining area and a place where you could go and have a drink,” Cullen said. “I know this place has typically been restaurant driven but we’re going to do both. I’d like to punch the night life a little bit harder than it was before. Have a cool place to go and have some live entertainment.”

The menu has been pared down than what was previously offered but still maintains sandwiches and baskets along with a few new selections.

“We have a fancy grilled cheese,” Cullen said. “Probably out most popular things right now is our whiskey burger. We make our own whiskey sauce out of Buffalo Trace Whiskey and it is extremely good.”

Another crowd favorite making a return is Taco Tuesday. After receiving feedback from the community on its popularity, he knew it would be a staple of the restaurant. He is also adding Wing Wednesday along with a variety of specials throughout the week.

Whiskey Barrel is available for reservation at no cost and Cullen said he has already booked quite a few Christmas parties in the coming month. Overall, he is just excited at the response he has received from Prairie City.

“Everybody wants this open. I went as fast as I could. There were a lot of nights I was here all night,” Cullen said. “The support from the community is overwhelming.”