More Bourbon Distilleries

Friday, we visited the Jim Beam distillery.  It is the largest in the country and produces 1/3 of the bourbon sold.  During the tour we saw how they produced single barrel bourbon or craft bourbon.  Although the process deals with smaller quantities it allows them to check that quality of their recipes and to try new flavors.  At the end of the tour we bottled our own bottles.  I even got to dip my bottle in wax and put my thumb print on the top.  They offered a wide variety of bourbons including flavored ones. We like the apple and maple flavored bourbons.  We also enjoyed the tasting that allowed you to taste three bourbons.  After the tasting we got to enjoy a bourbon cocktail.  What a great end of a tour.

We then traveled to Bardstown and ate a late lunch at the Talbot Tavern and Inn.  We had two great Kentucky meals, "Hot Kentucky Brown", which was ham, turkey, white sauce, topped with a slice of tomato.  Our other meal was "Kentucky Country Fried Steak", which was also delicious.

After lunch we went to Haven Hill Distillery which has a museum describing the history of bourbon making in Kentucky.  It was interesting to learn that the skills needed for making bourbon came with the immigrants from Scotland, Germany, and other European countries.  President Washington owned a successful distillery which was quite profitable.  In fact the making of spirits was supported by the government as the country was being settled.  It is amazing that the distilleries were restarted after prohibition which was devastating.  Buildings were torn down, equipment destroyed and stored bourbon dumped.  Today they are flourishing again.  Jim Beam has significantly experienced an increase in demand for their product and they continue to expand the flavors available.

Bourbon Trail

Arrived at Kentucky Horse Park Thursday afternoon.  Decided to visit one of the local bourbon distilleries. Many people think that bourbon is only made in Kentucky, but it can be called bourbon if it is distilled in America and follows the the distilling requirements.  Today 95% of all bourbon is made in Kentucky by 11 distilleries.

We took a tour of the Woodford Reserve Distillery.  It was interesting to learn that bourbon is made today using the same ingredients and following the same methods used in the past.  Woodford Bourbon is considered a premium bourbon because the mash is made in large wooden vats and the distilling uses copper vessels.  The copper actually helps flavor and color the of the bourbon.  The tour guide emphasized that the water found in Kentucky help make a better bourbon because the limestone filters the water, adds calcium, and helps remove iron.  Elijah Pepper first began distilling liquor on today's site in 1812.  His excess grain could be preserved as a liquor, was easy to transport, and was a valuable commodity.

Later the distillery and warehouses were built from limestone found in the area.  Today they are still standing and in use.

 At the end of the tour we sampled two of Woodfords products and discovered that you begin with just a few drops that you swirl in your mouth.  After that you just "sip" the bourbon.  And yes we did bring a bottle home to enjoy later.