Johnson County distillery, set for new KC Ferris wheel venue, has suddenly closed
Bull Creek Distillery of Johnson County, touted as one of the initial tenants of the upcoming Pennway Point entertainment district with the Ferris wheel near Union Station, has closed due to foreclosure.
The closing of the business at 20559 S. Lone Elm Road in Spring Hill also includes the closing of The Bowery, a wedding and events venue there.
Reached at home, Lindsey Denny, who owns the businesses with her husband, Mike Denny, confirmed the closures, without discussing the reason.
“I really can’t talk about that. I’ve signed an NDA,” a non-disclosure agreement, Denny said.
Johnson County Treasurer records show that in June, Country Club Bank foreclosed on the properties, paying seven years of back taxes dating to 2016 in the amount of $601,784.30.
Bull Creek was founded in 2018 and The Bowery in 2015. The Bowery’s sudden and unannounced closing has left a number of wedding parties scrambling to find new venues, other media reported.
The distillery’s closure also came as a surprise to the developers at Pennway Point, where construction is underway near Interstate 35. The 150-foot Ferris wheel has already been erected there by Icon Experiences of Maryland. Plans for the area also include a mini-golf course, the outdoor Lumi Museum featuring dozens of vintage Kansas City neon signs, along with several bars and restaurants.
“It was a huge surprise to us. We’re very disappointed to hear the news. We are actively looking for a distillery replacement,” said Dante Passantino, managing partner of DaVinci KC, in charge of leasing space to vendors for Pennway Point.
Passantino’s partners at DaVinci include David Belfonte and Vince Bryant. Bryant, founder of 3D Development, is also Pennway Point’s prime developer.
Passantino said Bull Creek was to take up a small space in a Pennway Point venue called Barrel Hall, so called because of its arching wooden barrel roof. Passantino said he got word about two weeks ago that Bull Creek was closing.
“Yeah, they just sent me a text message that said, ‘Hey, we’re shutting down. We’re not going to be able to participate,” he said. “I really don’t know the details of why they closed. They had a great venue in Spring Hill. We went out and met with them on numerous occasions, tasted their stuff, tried their food, worked out a deal with them. We were excited to bring them on.”
Although it’s too bad they won’t be part of Pennway Point, Passantino said the loss of the vendor is “the least impactful to what we’re trying to accomplish.” The distillery, he said, was to take up the least amount of square footage in Barrel Hall.
Other vendors in that venue, expected to open within the next year, include Boulevard Brewery’s Barrel Aged Tasting Experience and Bar, Chef J BBQ, Whiskey Bar at Barrel Hall and Würstl, a Viennese sausage restaurant.
This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 2:00 PM.
