My husband has been a bourbon fan for many years. It has taken me a long time to get on board. I usually preferred something sweet or a good wine. However, in the last year or so I decided to give bourbon a try. It started little by little with cocktails that had bourbon in them with lots of simple syrup on top! LOL! Over time I came to appreciate bourbon. We decided for Christmas we would take a little trip to visit some of my husband's favorite distilleries in Kentucky. The day after Christmas we and another couple left the littles with their grandparents and headed to Bardstown, KY.
Bardstown is a cute little town that is centrally located between numerous bourbon distilleries. We picked an airbnb vacation rental in the cute little downtown area. www.airbnb.com/rooms/17608514?location=bardstown%2C%20ky&adults=4&s=YI0c4rte It was perfect for what we needed. It is a one bedroom/one bath but it did have a pull-out couch so both couples fit just fine. An extra bedroom/bath definitely would be more comfortable but it was Christmas and we were trying to save a little money. It was located above the downtown shops. All we had to do was walk down the stairs to the local tap room, coffee shop and local restaurants. The day we arrived we drove through the beautiful Kentucky countryside to our first stop, Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. As we drove into the distilleries there was a sharp turn taking us over a large bridge over the Kentucky River and onto the Wild Turkey property. As we stepped out of the car you could smell the amazing aroma of bourbon being distilled. We decided to take a tour. It was a learning experience for me being the first tour. I learned how bourbon is made and how it differs from whiskey. All bourbons are whiskeys but not all whiskeys are bourbons! As you get to know me you will find out I love history! My favorite parts of the tours were the historical aspects. At Wild Turkey they allowed us to tour their oldest rick house. I love the smell when you walk into a rick house! At each distillery you can buy a candle that attempts to bottle this smell and while the candles smell good there is nothing quite like the real thing! We sampled 4 of Wild Turkeys bourbons and liquors while enjoying a view of the beautiful river and you got to keep your tasting glass. After the tour we headed to our loft in Bardstown. By this time we were starving and went in search of something to eat for dinner. Our first stop was the 3rd St. Tap House (which was directly under our room.) They unfortunately did not serve food but we were impressed by their bourbon selection and we knew we would be back! They suggested Mammy's Kitchen which happened to be just out the back door. We were impressed by the breakfast, dinner and bourbon selections at Mammy's Kitchen! After dinner we went back to the 3rd St Tap House and sampled some of the bourbons that are not easily found back in our home state of Georgia. Each of these places were just a minute or 2 walk from our loft. Though it was a short walk it was a bitter one with the wind chill temperatures dipping as low as -2 overnight. Luckily the snow and ice held off and we were able to keep our tight schedule of visiting every distillery we could in 2.5 days. The next day we started early with a drive to Four Roses Distillery. They were not actively distilling due to maintenance but we still had a chance to look around and do a tasting. While the tour guide talked very fast and was a bit hard to follow the tasting was a good experience and you got to keep your tasting glass. They even had a Four Roses prescription bottle from the days of prohibition on display! All you need is 2 ounces in hot water for whatever ails you! From there we went over the river and through the woods or at least a few beautiful horse farms to Woodford Reserve. Woodford was the most beautiful distillery we visited. They too were shut down for maintenance but they did give us a tour of the rick houses and the original spring that marked the place of the first Woodford Reserve distilling. Their tasting room was beautiful with a fireplace and even bourbon balls (so yummy) for tasting with the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked which quickly became my favorite sipping bourbon. As the tour wrapped up we decided to try the cafe that was in the gift shop. It wasn't much to look at but we all really enjoyed our meals and it kept us from having to venture off course to find a place for lunch. After lunch we headed across town to Buffalo Trace. Easily, the largest operation we had been to located directly on the banks of the Kentucky River. It was more industrial looking than the others but the gift shop was expansive. We signed up for a the E.H.Taylor tour not really knowing what we had signed up for. As we waited for our tour I was thinking that I wasn't impressed. Woodford was so beautiful and quaint it was definitely a switch to the large industrial operation at Buffalo. Our tour began and it was FREEZING outside. As we walked through the wind tunnels between the buildings we tried to stay warm. Our first stop was the original E. H. Taylor house. I loved seeing the horse hair they used to strengthen the mortar. A short walk to a garage door nearby and through a maintenance bay we stopped to watch a short film. We were standing over the original copper lined vats (no longer copper lined but they have plans to reline them as they once were). In 2016 they found the original vats under a concrete floor as they were beginning renovation for an event space. As a lover of history this was a very unique experience and I left Buffalo trace with very different perspective. At the conclusion of the tour we had a tasting of their basic line of bourbons and liquors. We ended our day in downtown Lexington, KY at a restaurant called The Village Idiot. We went there on a recommendation that they had great bourbon cocktails. In my opinion the cocktails weren't great but the food made up for it!!! Day 3 started at Pat's Place. A cute little restaurant just across the street from our room. We had a large, scrumptious country breakfast in front of a roaring fire before we headed to Heaven Hill Distillery which is also know as the Bourbon Heritage Center. They had a museum type visitor center where we learned more about the history of bourbon. Did you know George Washington was a distiller? We did not tour or taste at Heaven Hill (it was on the pricy side and it was early) but we did enjoy the visitor center and gift shop. A short mile down the road was Willet. We stopped in for a tasting. It was a small, quaint, family run distillery. Easily, the smallest but they gave a personal experience. We had a private tasting which was very informative and relaxed very different from the crowds at the larger distilleries. Our next stop brought us to where it all began for my husband. Years ago he became an ambassador for Makers Mark when it was just a small distillery tucked quietly in the little town of Loretto, KY. Today, it has grown into an impressive distillery while keeping the small distillery charm. We did a tour and a tasting. As with some of the other distilleries we visited they were not distilling. The week between Christmas and New Years is a maintenance week for many of the distilleries. Honestly, this was ok. The distilling process is mostly the same at each distillery but they each had something unique to offer. At Makers Mark any bottle you purchase you are able to dip in their signature wax for free. They also now have a cafe on property. We had lunch following our tour at the cafe and the food was exceptional as was the bourbon slushee. It was so good it didn't even matter that it was 20 something degrees outside. After a late lunch we headed from Loretto to Louisville. Leaving the small town behind to visit the urban distilleries of Angels Envy and Jim Beam. We didn't make it in time to tour or taste at Angels Envy which reminds me to tell you to look up the hours of any distilleries you are interested in when planning. They all have different hours but none are open past 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening. We stopped off at the very commercial Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse for a tasting. Then we headed across town to The Bourbon Bistro on the recommendation from someone back home. It did not disappoint. It had a large selection of bourbon and yummy bourbon cocktails. We really enjoyed our dinner and the bourbon. To finish off our last night in Kentucky we headed downstairs to the 3rd St. Tap Room again. Since it was a Thursday night the tap room was busier than the nights before but we still enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere after two busy days of touring Kentucky and all things bourbon! Our last morning brought us to the Four Roses rick houses. The Four Roses Distillery and rick houses are in separate locations. We had heard you can buy used barrels from them for a reasonable price. We were hoping to take one home, but after packing all our belongings and the bourbon we bought there just wasn't enough room in the car. LOL! On our way out we swung into the Jim Beam Distillery which was huge!!!! The tour was 90 minutes long so we opted out since we needed to hit the road to get home to our babies. In hindsight driving home the Friday after Christmas and before New Years was probably not the best of plans. It took us several extra hours than it should have to make it home but to us it was such a wonderful trip that it didn't matter. This trip taught me so much, made me realize how much I really do like bourbon (even straight) and gave my husband and I, along with our friends, quality time together doing something we all enjoyed. Adventure awaits on the bourbon trail...GO!
1 Comment
|
Vanessa MillerWe are a family that loves to travel. Any chance we get we are off on an adventure. We want to remember and share them all here with you! We hope that our adventures inspire you to have your own with your family and friends. Archives
August 2019
Categories |