Must-See Sites for American Whiskey Fans.

[cowdery]

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Louisville's Urban Bourbon Trail have become significant tourism projects in Kentucky. The Trail is growing with the addition of Tom Moore in Bardstown, Bluegrass Cooperage in Louisville, and soon CMDK in Owensboro.

Obviously the Kentucky tourism interests will never promote Tennessee, but certainly any American whiskey fan will want to visit Jack Daniel's and George Dickel, which are conveniently very close together.

Where else should people go?

I have a couple of thoughts. While in Tennessee, spend a little time in Nashville. It has the same kind of significance to Tennessee's whiskey history as Louisville does to Kentucky's, except without the distilleries, but both were the state's business and financial centers, so most whiskey-related business was done there. George Dickel himself did all of his business in Nashville. There is no evidence that he ever got anywhere near the distillery in Cascade Hollow. Nashville's vice district, where the Dickel interests owned a saloon, is better preserved than Louisville's. Daniel's too also had a business interest in Nashville. Plus (and maybe most of all), Nashville is a fun town.

If history is your thing, you don't really have to look for whiskey history in either state, as whiskey permeates the history of both states, even if they don't always tell you that.

The Bourbon Trail covers working distilleries, but several distillery sites that aren't on the trail are worth at least a drive-by if you have the time. Some are ruins and some are functioning but not giving tours. This list is by no means exhaustive.

Louisville area: Brown-Forman headquarters and Brown-Forman Distillery; Stitzel-Weller Distillery; Yellowstone Distillery, Seagrams Distillery, and the rest of the Shively, 7th Street Road distillery district; Distillery Commons; Whiskey Row (Main Street).

Owensboro area: Barton bottling house and warehouses; Old Stanley Distillery.

Lexington/Frankfort area: Old Taylor, Old Crow, Old Grand-Dad, Camp Nelson warehouses, James E. Pepper, Old Joe.

I would also include George Washington's Distillery at Mount Vernon, Virginia, as a must-see.

I'm tired. Somebody else do the rest.

[sotnsipper]

Great post Chuck! Lots of history in Nashville, whiskey, music, etc... It is a great place to visit. If you do plan a trip that way, let me know. I am right down the road!

[Rughi]

Lexington/Frankfort area: Old Taylor, Old Crow, Old Grand-Dad, Camp Nelson warehouses, James E. Pepper, Old Joe.

I didn't have my Cecil handy at work. Do I have this right?

James E. Pepper now produces Woodford Reserve

Old Joe now produces Four Roses.

What is Camp Nelson? Is that the assemblage of buildings across the road from Four Roses? Is it the warehouses Four Roses uses a few miles away?

Also, the Charles Medley distillery (that Chuck wrote about in the last few days) was, I'm sure, meant to be on the Owensboro list.

Roger

[cowdery]

The list was meant to supplement the Bourbon Trail list, on which I assumed CMDK.

The James Pepper site is in Lexington and is being redeveloped. I don't know a lot about it but it's not Woodford, which is the old Oscar Pepper place.

Camp Nelson is the old Canada Dry Distillery in Jassamine County. The warehouses there are Wild Turkey.

Old Joe is associated with the warehouses at Four Roses, which are owned by Wild Turkey. The remnants of the Old Joe Distillery are just past 4R on the same road.

[Lost Pollito]

Camp Nelson is the old Canada Dry Distillery in Jassamine County.

My Mother would kill me if I didn't point out that we spell it, Jessamine.

[craigthom]

I could have sworn I posted a response here. Maybe I screwed it up, or maybe I put it in the wrong topic.

Old Joe is on the left across the street from Four Roses. After you cross the river you can see more of it as the road turns left.

In Atlanta there is the Rufus M. Rose house. His distillery was supposedly out in Vinings, but he built a house on Peachtree Street a few blocks south of where the Fox is now.

Only references say there is a museum in it, but it sure looks vacant to me. I lived in Atlanta for ten years and drove by it often, but I had no idea there was even a house in the area until I specifically looked for it last year. There aren't any houses near it. It's the oldest surviving house on Peachtree Street, and it may be the only house until one gets up to the Margaret Mitchell House, which is actually an apartment building (buy design from the looks of it), and it was relocated to its current spot.

Google Maps street view of Rufus M. Rose House.

This is one of those rare instances where an online map actually puts the street number at exactly the right spot.

[cowdery]

My Mother would kill me if I didn't point out that we spell it, Jessamine.

That's why I rarely do anything from memory, because I'm usually wrong.

[MikeK]

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Louisville's Urban Bourbon Trail have become significant tourism projects in Kentucky. The Trail is growing with the addition of Tom Moore in Bardstown, Bluegrass Cooperage in Louisville, and soon CMDK in Owensboro.

I don't see Bluegrass Cooperage mentioned on the Bourbon Trail website. Are they actually going to be giving tours? Or is the only way in via the larger Julip tour mentioned on another recent thread?

[cowdery]

I don't know, but their phone number is 502-368-1626.

This is apparently very new. You can also contact Eric Gregory at the KDA. (859) 771-1050 or eric@kybourbon.com

[Lost Pollito]

Some side trips I'd recommend include the beauty of the state. Cumberland falls, Jim Beam trail....just across from camp nelson, and perhaps mammoth cave, Oh....I miss Kentucky. I'm visiting very soon, and am getting quite excited. Also, Ravens Run in Jessamine county. There's even a winery in Jessamine county called Chrissman Mill that has a little tour and tastes.

[cowdery]

I noticed the Jim Beam Trail when I was scoping out the warehouses at Camp Nelson. What can you tell me about it? I guess it's a nature preserve of some kind.

[Lost Pollito]

Yep. A nice lil hiking trail. Not to long or challenging from what I recall. I'm headed home soon, so I'll re-visit and report back. I prefer Ravens Run for a nice hike and scenic views of The Kentucky River, but the Beam trail wasn't bad at all either from what I remember.