What Has Been Your Favorite Distillery Tour?

[whskylvr]

Wild Turkey (when with Pernod Ricard) was terrible. I am in the trade and I couldn't even get them to give me a tour. There was one excuse after another I finally said forget it. BT, MM, WR, and FR Cox's Creek all said when and what time. They were all great tours. Cox's Creek was my favorite ( I didn't see any distilling, etc.) but the barrel warehouses, bottling, filling station was awesome (the people were awesome)

Thank you Corey, and Gary

[marco246]

I've had only two tours: the BT hard hat and the Four Roses distillery tour, which was arranged ahead of time. Both were excellent, but the BT tour was a little more informative and included the storage warehouses. I was bemused to learn that the warehouses located next to the 4R distillery were being used to store Wild Turkey. For $8 you can pick up an excellent if short DVD on how 4R makes whiskey.

The 4R folks were certainly more open-handed with the samples. I got to try 6 different 4R expressions, including the two sold only overseas. It is my distinct impression that the overseas whiskeys are inferior in flavor to the ones sold domestically. But perhaps the overseas expressions are tailored expressly for different palates. Kirin owns 4R, and I bet they have a pretty good handle on what, for example, their Japanese customers like.

I don't get to the Mainland very often, and to Kentucky less than that, but I hope eventually to visit all the other distilleries.

[craigthom]

Count me among those who have had a great Wild Turkey tour. It was back when they still did the bottling in Lawrenceburg. While there was no tasting, everything else was terrific. It felt as if we were being led through an operating industrial plant, not taken on a planned tour. For "souvenirs" our guide just grabbed things as we came to them, like bourbon-soaked bungs from the dump room floor. When someone asked "what's that over there?", we all went over there to look.

The BT hard hat tour is similar and covers more ground.

I have not toured Tom Moore yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

With the exception of Jim Beam, all the tours have something going for them.

The new Maker's Mark tour is nice, if a bit sheltered. It's hit-or-miss whether the bottling line will be running (I am batting one for three). It's a very polished tour.

Woodford Reserve is also very polished, and the distillery is gorgeous. They are the one one that charges, but it isn't expensive.

The Four Roses distillery tour is nice, too. Their film is the most technical and informative of the lot, but they tend to be that way in general. I've only toured their warehouses and bottling are as part of a Mellow Moments Club event, so I don't know if sampling straight from a barrel is part of the normal tour.

[kickert]

The 4R folks were certainly more open-handed with the samples. I got to try 6 different 4R expressions, including the two sold only overseas.

This is atypical. Actually, per their tasting license, they are only allowed to pour two 1 oz samples.

[fishnbowljoe]

Once again, Fred and the Hard Hat tour at BT. :grin: I never get tired of visiting BT. Joe

[Vosgar]

While I haven't been on all of the tours out there, I loved the BT Hard Hat. It was very informative and showed you the entire process from start to finish, but what set it apart from the rest was having Fred as our guide. His genuine enthusiasm for bourbon and loving his "job" really comes through. When you call for a tour, be sure to ask for Fred. The gift shop is great and I could of easily spent more than I did.

Maker's Mark, as others have pointed out, is a very polished tour and is also very good. The grounds are beautiful and they too have a nice gift shop. You really should dip your own bottle in red wax as a momento.

Gary

[nooga]

I've done Maker's Mark, WR, Tom Moore, Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, and Jim Beam. WR was probably the best tour, though Pam definately rolls out the carpet for the Tom Moore tour and is a super sweet lady! Heaven Hill had the best tasting, giving out a taste of their 8 year single barrel and their 12 year blend. Most all of the distilleries just give out their standard product.

[Jono]

While I haven't been on all of the tours out there, I loved the BT Hard Hat. It was very informative and showed you the entire process from start to finish, but what set it apart from the rest was having Fred as our guide. His genuine enthusiasm for bourbon and loving his "job" really comes through. When you call for a tour, be sure to ask for Fred. The gift shop is great and I could of easily spent more than I did.

Maker's Mark, as others have pointed out, is a very polished tour and is also very good. The grounds are beautiful and they too have a nice gift shop. You really should dip your own bottle in red wax as a momento.

Gary

Of the tours I have completed....BT, WR, WT, FR....BT was by far the best and I second having Fred on the hard had tour...excellent.

[Bourbon Boiler]

I went about a month ago, and would rank them this way:

1. Buffalo Trace (regular, not hard hat) - we showed up late and the staff hustled to put us in with the last group. Very good description of product and process without it being an hour long commercial.

2. Maker's Mark - Almost as good as BT. Would probably have been better viewing had we not been there in the middle of a thunderstorm.

(gap)

3. Wild Turkey - I see others rate this poorly, but I had a very good guide who answered a lot of technical questions. Nice area as well.

4. Woodford Reserve - Excellent tour in a nice setting, but loses points since they charge an admission fee. I understand the rationale, but if Makers and BT don't charge, I don't see the differentiation.

5. Heaven Hill - not much of a tour, but the best tasting and a good video that isn't a commercial.

(gap)

6. Four Roses - They weren't operating when I was there, and the guide didn't seem to know what to do. She was trying to explain what would be happeneing, but didn't define it really well. It was still worthwhile, but probably a lot better when they are running.

7. Beam - If you're hitting multiple stops, and your schedule is flexible, hit this first. It isn't really a tour, just a ten minute commercial and an unorganized tasting. Since we hit this first, we didn't know we should be disappointed.

I'm trying to hit Tom Moore if I can get back to Bardstown.

[cowdery]

The tour guide you get makes all the difference. That's why there have been mixed reviews about Turkey, they seem to have tour guides that range from terrific to awful. From the report above, it's clear that Four Roses, which usually gets great reviews, can have the same problem.

The defense for Woodford is that their location amidst the horse farms had a lot of the horse farm tour operators dropping tour buses on them of people who didn't even really want to be there. The very modest admission charge eliminated the problem overnight. Only they have to do that because only they have that problem, because of their location.

The defense of Beam is that they are in the midst of a multi-million dollar upgrade of the visitor experience at Clermont and when that is completed they will have a real tour. Until then, the highlight of a Clermont visit is probably the one-of-a-kind cooperage exhibit.

[Bourbon Boiler]

The tour guide you get makes all the difference. That's why there have been mixed reviews about Turkey, they seem to have tour guides that range from terrific to awful. From the report above, it's clear that Four Roses, which usually gets great reviews, can have the same problem.

IIRC, they had just stopped spring production when I was at Four Roses. I got the impression that our guide was giving her first tour without production running. It wasn't that she wasn't knowledgable, she just wasn't sure how to describe something the group couldn't see.

[craigthom]

Beam has finished their new tasting room and have a large number of decanters on display.

[cowdery]

Beam has finished their new tasting room and have a large number of decanters on display.

[craigthom]

I don't the the current decanter display is complete, but there are several.

What they've done is add to the back of the old Outpost building. It looks like they've doubled the size. There's a new theater and they've moved the tasting from the house to the shack.

They've still got a lot of work to do, though, to make it a competitive tour.

[kyrocklover]

BT tour is the best. Fred was our tour guide and was excellent. I may go back later this fall and do the hard hat tour. They were bottling Blanton's 93 proof and Thomas Handy Saz Rye. There was a large volume of of cases of Thomas Handy.

If only, they would have let me back my truck up to the door.

[mwanning]

I have lurked on this site for several years and am late on this subject, but my best tour was Old Taylor.....? A few weeks ago I was back in KY and checking out some of the "off" tour spots. I had never seem the dormant Old Crow and Old Taylor distilleries and wanted to while they was still something there. We had been there a few minutes taking pictures when someone showed up to check on us. Turns out he rented a piece of the property for a woodworking shop and also checked the property for the owners. After he figured out a fat 60 year old was not a big concern we begin to talk. He was raised in the area, worked in the whiskey biz - even said he was a tour guide at BT and was there when Freddy was hired. We talked for about 15 minutes and he invited us in to his shop. I wished we could have stayed, but we were behind and had to leave. I wished I had asked for his name (Do any of you have a clue?).

The bad/news good news on Old Taylor is the place is full of asbestos and the ground has a lot of mercury. The bad news is that it will make it very difficult to every re-open it even if just for tours. The good news is it will make it difficult to tear it down - at least of many many years to come. If I could have only stayed.

Mike

P.S. Did you know that across the road from Old Taylor is a graveyard with the gravesite of the Revolutionary War Vet? Seems he was promoted to SGT and had his strips personally by George Washington. They have ordered a headstone from the Veterans Admin. One on the reasons I wanted his name was to see it there was something I could do to help - don't have a lot but maybe a little donation. The graveyard is in very poor condition and you can see where he had used he woodworking shop to do a lot of maintenance and signage.

[Josh]

After he figured out a fat 60 year old was not a big concern we begin to talk. He was raised in the area, worked in the whiskey biz - even said he was a tour guide at BT and was there when Freddy was hired. We talked for about 15 minutes and he invited us in to his shop. I wished we could have stayed, but we were behind and had to leave. I wished I had asked for his name (Do any of you have a clue?).

P.S. Did you know that across the road from Old Taylor is a graveyard with the gravesite of the Revolutionary War Vet? Seems he was promoted to SGT and had his strips personally by George Washington. They have ordered a headstone from the Veterans Admin. One on the reasons I wanted his name was to see it there was something I could do to help - don't have a lot but maybe a little donation. The graveyard is in very poor condition and you can see where he had used he woodworking shop to do a lot of maintenance and signage.

In the words of Stephen Malkmus, Woowee Zowee! That's incredible. I wonder what he would think about a fat 34 year old?

What was your tour guide's name? Chances are he may be known to someone(s) here. And what was the Revolutionary War vet's name?

[Bourbon Boiler]

I have lurked on this site for several years and am late on this subject, but my best tour was Old Taylor.....? A few weeks ago I was back in KY and checking out some of the "off" tour spots. I had never seem the dormant Old Crow and Old Taylor distilleries and wanted to while they was still something there. We had been there a few minutes taking pictures when someone showed up to check on us. Turns out he rented a piece of the property for a woodworking shop and also checked the property for the owners. After he figured out a fat 60 year old was not a big concern we begin to talk. He was raised in the area, worked in the whiskey biz - even said he was a tour guide at BT and was there when Freddy was hired. We talked for about 15 minutes and he invited us in to his shop. I wished we could have stayed, but we were behind and had to leave. I wished I had asked for his name (Do any of you have a clue?).

The bad/news good news on Old Taylor is the place is full of asbestos and the ground has a lot of mercury. The bad news is that it will make it very difficult to every re-open it even if just for tours. The good news is it will make it difficult to tear it down - at least of many many years to come. If I could have only stayed.

Mike

P.S. Did you know that across the road from Old Taylor is a graveyard with the gravesite of the Revolutionary War Vet? Seems he was promoted to SGT and had his strips personally by George Washington. They have ordered a headstone from the Veterans Admin. One on the reasons I wanted his name was to see it there was something I could do to help - don't have a lot but maybe a little donation. The graveyard is in very poor condition and you can see where he had used he woodworking shop to do a lot of maintenance and signage.

[Jono]

Any signs of improvement at the WT facility? When we stopped by during non-production time (summer shut down) it was very disappointing. Rumor was that a new visitor center was planned.

[Bourbon Boiler]

I think they (WT) need a biger tasting room. I know distillers don't want to seperate the tasting from the gift shop, but the tasting when I was there in June was crowded and unorganized. The rest of the tour was outstanding, and the fact that they gave us the choice of what samples we wanted was a nice touch, we just didn't need to be packed into a small room.

[craigthom]

Any tasting at Wild Turkey is a brand new thing, so it may have some bugs yet.

I took the cooperage tour at Independent Stave last month. They were shut down, probably because distilleries are, so I didn't get to see any barrels being made. The tour did go right through the factory, though, so I imagine it will be great when they are running.

[Bourbon Boiler]

In June, WT had the tasting. I didn't realize it was so new. We got our choice of two WT drinks with 6 available. I know five of the options were:

1. Amercian Honey

2. WT 101

3. Russ Reserve

4. Rare Breed

5. Rye

I can't remember what the sixth was.

[cowdery]

Any tasting at Wild Turkey is a brand new thing, so it may have some bugs yet.

I took the cooperage tour at Independent Stave last month. They were shut down, probably because distilleries are, so I didn't get to see any barrels being made. The tour did go right through the factory, though, so I imagine it will be great when they are running.

[callmeox]

It's hard to imagine the volume of barrels IS and BF produce. Their supply and distribution chains must be very just-in-time. Likewise the distilleries don't have a lot of space for storing empty barrels. The trucks pull up and unload into the filling area. Presumably it's like that all the way back to the forest. When the distilleries stop distilling the lumberjacks stop cutting.

True, but earlier this week I learned that the distilleries know nothing about logistics.

[Bourbon Boiler]

It's hard to imagine the volume of barrels IS and BF produce. Their supply and distribution chains must be very just-in-time. Likewise the distilleries don't have a lot of space for storing empty barrels. The trucks pull up and unload into the filling area. Presumably it's like that all the way back to the forest. When the distilleries stop distilling the lumberjacks stop cutting.