The University of Kentucky is hosting the fourth annual James Beam Bourbon Conference this week.

Scientist, farmers and industry insiders are coming together to discuss the future of bourbon distilling in Kentucky.

Yesterday was the opening day and Governor Andy Beshear spoke about how important the bourbon industry is to the state's economic prosperity.

As our economy has taken off, so has investment in Bourbon, and thankfully so has tourism, which is back and bigger than ever.

The bourbon trail is becoming a state wide trail.

It's going to bring people into counties that they had never been before.

It's going to bring people into small businesses in those counties, eating at the restaurants, shopping in those stores.

You think about tourism being an $11.2 billion industry and how the bourbon trail is.

One of the primary draws now that bring people to our commonwealth.

More than $2.8 billion in new investments, the creation of more than 1300 really good Kentucky jobs.

Simply put, Kentucky's signature bourbon and spirits industry has never been stronger.

The conference includes seminars focused on diversity and inclusion in the bourbon industry.

Distillery representatives heard from experts about how to attract women and people of color to the rapidly expanding profession.

You know, everyone loves bourbon.

Bourbon loves everyone, right?

And so to make sure people see themselves represented in the brands and for the companies and I think that helps drive people to the product because to drive talent into the industry first through your consumer, particularly the United States, 2045, the minority will be the majority.

What kind of keeps me up at night, particularly in the bourbon space, we have a long aging product so fluid, you know, liquid going into barrels today won't come out for 4 to 10 plus years.

Who will that consumer be?

And will we still be booming as we are today if we don't fully understand the changing dynamics of who our consumers are and the representation of that?

The conference takes its name from the James Beam Institute for Kentucky's Spirits, currently being built on Duke's campus.

Once it opens, students from all academic disciplines will be able to learn about what goes into making bourbon.

Sounds pretty good.