Whiskey Row. Development of the Louisville wharf and the steamboat led bourbon whiskey trading houses and jobbers to locate their warehouses and offices along Louisville's Main St. From the 1840s until 1920s, over 50 whiskey firms found here. The street became known as "Whiskey Row." By 2002, only Brown-Forman Corp. was still located here. Over. Presented by Brown-Forman Corporation. (Reverse) Transportation of Bourbon - Barrels of bourbon were shipped to Louisville's Main Street from numerous rural and Louisville-based distilleries. From here, barrels were loaded on steamboats and shipped around the world via St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans. With introduction and expansion of the railroad, the use of river transportation declined. Over.