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.
