Got to knock a big one off the 'ole bucket list last week as I spent time in the Bluegrass State doing a bunch of things but, most notably, hit quite a bit of the Bourbon Trail. Random notes/thoughts/ruminations include:
-Anyone can visit any distillery, but if you want to take the tour (read: tastings,) reservations are a must. I did all my reservations about a month and half out and was still waitlisted at Buffalo Trace (but they let me know the week before via email that I got in.)
-Much like other heavy tourist / aficionado things, one of the coolest things was to talk bourbon with fellow fanatics from all over the US during the tours.
-I had tours at Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, Four Roses, Woodford Reserve, and Buffalo Trace; also stopped in at several others, including Heaven Hill, Angels Envy, and Old Forrester.
-Maker's - tied for my favorite experience. Beautiful grounds, had a very knowledgeable tour guide, the tasting was awesome, etc. Of note was that, right before tasting, they took us into the room where the employees take each and every bottle coming down the production line and dip each into the cistern of the famous red wax, Very cool...
-Jim Beam - tour was meh, but the sheer magnitude of the place was impressive. That said, the tasting included Knob Creek, which made it worthwhile. Of note is that there is an area during the tour where they let you put your thumbprint into the black wax if you wanted to purchase a bottle.
-Four Roses - nice grounds, but it was my least favorite - people were kinda snobby, everything in the gift shop was ridiculously overpriced (really? I can buy a sticker for my Yeti for $8? Yay!)
-Woodford - very much enjoyed; the Visitor Center and HQ looked like the clean room at a semiconductor plant. Overall very good experience. Of note is that when you get off the highway to drive the couple of miles to get there, my goodness, you pass these unbelievable Kentucky horse farms that are over-the-top/opulent displays of wealth. We're talking acres of absurdly manicured lawns, "barns" that look like oceanfront mansions in Naples, etc. Extremely impressive.
-Buffalo Trace - the other one that tied for my favorite. Great grounds, by far the best guide, the best tasting experience (included their vodka, Eagle's Rare, their Bourbon Cream, and Blanton's.) Of note is that I got very lucky; you can always buy any of their stuff in the gift shop on any day with the exception of Eagle's and Blanton's. Well, it just so happened that on my day, they had Blanton's - their policy is that when they offer it, each person can buy one bottle every 90 days. My bottle cost me a whopping $68. F' yeah, baby.
I wrapped it snugly in dirty clothes and it made it back in my suitcase w/no problems (whew.)
-I also drove all over the University of Kentucky campus - nice, but nothing great - stadium was pretty nice, I guess - can't wait to hit a road game there once our SEC days commence. Rupp Arena was cool looking from the street.
-Before my flight home from Louisville, I went to check out Churchill Downs. There was a ton of construction going on, but just being there/walking around inside was still awesome. Of note is that driving there reminded me a lot of going to the State Fair in Dallas - aka the area / neighborhood around the track was pretty much a shithole...
-Unfortunately, downtown Louisville left quite a bit to be desired. Lots of homeless folk, etc. I didn't stay long...
-The Henry Clay mansion and grounds in Lexington was very cool. Shout out to @HllCountryHorn for the recommendation.
All in all, it was time well spent, and if you're a bourbon fanatic, put it on your list and go do it.
Hook 'em.
Kerr
-Anyone can visit any distillery, but if you want to take the tour (read: tastings,) reservations are a must. I did all my reservations about a month and half out and was still waitlisted at Buffalo Trace (but they let me know the week before via email that I got in.)
-Much like other heavy tourist / aficionado things, one of the coolest things was to talk bourbon with fellow fanatics from all over the US during the tours.
-I had tours at Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, Four Roses, Woodford Reserve, and Buffalo Trace; also stopped in at several others, including Heaven Hill, Angels Envy, and Old Forrester.
-Maker's - tied for my favorite experience. Beautiful grounds, had a very knowledgeable tour guide, the tasting was awesome, etc. Of note was that, right before tasting, they took us into the room where the employees take each and every bottle coming down the production line and dip each into the cistern of the famous red wax, Very cool...
-Jim Beam - tour was meh, but the sheer magnitude of the place was impressive. That said, the tasting included Knob Creek, which made it worthwhile. Of note is that there is an area during the tour where they let you put your thumbprint into the black wax if you wanted to purchase a bottle.
-Four Roses - nice grounds, but it was my least favorite - people were kinda snobby, everything in the gift shop was ridiculously overpriced (really? I can buy a sticker for my Yeti for $8? Yay!)
-Woodford - very much enjoyed; the Visitor Center and HQ looked like the clean room at a semiconductor plant. Overall very good experience. Of note is that when you get off the highway to drive the couple of miles to get there, my goodness, you pass these unbelievable Kentucky horse farms that are over-the-top/opulent displays of wealth. We're talking acres of absurdly manicured lawns, "barns" that look like oceanfront mansions in Naples, etc. Extremely impressive.
-Buffalo Trace - the other one that tied for my favorite. Great grounds, by far the best guide, the best tasting experience (included their vodka, Eagle's Rare, their Bourbon Cream, and Blanton's.) Of note is that I got very lucky; you can always buy any of their stuff in the gift shop on any day with the exception of Eagle's and Blanton's. Well, it just so happened that on my day, they had Blanton's - their policy is that when they offer it, each person can buy one bottle every 90 days. My bottle cost me a whopping $68. F' yeah, baby.
I wrapped it snugly in dirty clothes and it made it back in my suitcase w/no problems (whew.)-I also drove all over the University of Kentucky campus - nice, but nothing great - stadium was pretty nice, I guess - can't wait to hit a road game there once our SEC days commence. Rupp Arena was cool looking from the street.
-Before my flight home from Louisville, I went to check out Churchill Downs. There was a ton of construction going on, but just being there/walking around inside was still awesome. Of note is that driving there reminded me a lot of going to the State Fair in Dallas - aka the area / neighborhood around the track was pretty much a shithole...
-Unfortunately, downtown Louisville left quite a bit to be desired. Lots of homeless folk, etc. I didn't stay long...
-The Henry Clay mansion and grounds in Lexington was very cool. Shout out to @HllCountryHorn for the recommendation.
All in all, it was time well spent, and if you're a bourbon fanatic, put it on your list and go do it.
Hook 'em.
Kerr
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