What Has Been Your Favorite Distillery Tour?

[tarheel]

Back from my visit over Thanksgiving weekend. First of all, I would advocate against going around any actual holidays as a general rule (I should have thought of that). The tours filled up fast, and even calling a couple of weeks ahead I was unable to get a spot in the BT hard hat tour even with a two day window. Oh well, next time. Highlights:

1. FR "Mellow Moments" Tour - Simply awesome. I got on the Mellow Moments club list (free online, thanks c2walker!), and they actually let me pick the time I wanted to do the tour. My wife and I had the personal guide (Leila) take us through all the buildings on site. I was a non-stop question machine and Leila was very helpful. The distillery is a sight to see, loved the architecture. Nice tasting, and got to sample the Japanese FR (slightly sweeter). Just a really special experience.

2. MM - Although the tour cost $7, it was well worth it. It is a hike to get down there (we were based near Bardstown), but a very bucolic setting. Nice detailed tour. Actually got to stick my hands in the fermenting mash in a couple of different time points along the process - more acidic further along, much more like oatmeal to start with. That was fun. The tasting was very well orchestrated, in a new tasting room. Generous pours as well. Very enjoyable visit.

We also went on the BT "normal" tour, and the WT "warehouse tour". Although I am a huge fan of BT products, the "normal" tour there didn't do much for me. Very superficial, not a lot of red meat in terms of the nuts and bolts of the distillery. Not being able to secure spots on the "hard hat" tour was a big disappointment. I enjoyed just being at the distillery and walking around a bit, but it really wasn't worth the trip. The WT tours were so packed that all we could get was to peek in a warehouse and a get a brief tasting. Need to go back for a real tour at some point.

To summarize, definitely do the FR "Mellow Moments" tour, the BT "Hard Hat", and the MM tour. Already planning the next trip!

[Flyfish]

On March 13, went to Buffalo Trace. Arrived at 9:00 when the wind was bitter and there were traces of snow from earlier that morning. Had originally intented to tour--again--but my wife said she didn't look forward to running between buildings in that weather. Maybe we could just get a tasting of The Breakfast of Champions. Freddie (our favorite tour guide from past visits to BT) overheard us talking and suggested a "private" tour because there was just the two of us there that early.

He took us to the bottling room where we talked with the staff about what they do and my wife got to sit in on the packaging of Blanton's with labels in Japanese. Went to watch the boys filling the barrels and was given a chance to whack a bung myself. (And you really have to whack that sucker!) Saw how the barrel tops are seared with identifying info and a bar code that gets the tax clock started. Over to the dump room where they were emptying barrels and pumping the juice to holding tanks. In the rick house, wandered around enough to notice the difference in temperature and humdity. Freddie pointed out how some of the barrel tops had been physically distorted (concaved) by the variations in temp and humidity. It takes a lot to warp oak that way.

Finished up with a tasting of ER, both room temperature and chilled to note the effects. Also some Rain Vodka just to show that although all vodka is "just" grain neutral spirits it is not all equal. I'm not usually a vodka drinker except in the summer with tonic and lime but Freddie may have made a convert. Which, after all, was the whole point. When we arrived, our RV held family size bottles of AAA, OWA, and BT, two bottles each of Blanton's and ER, and a poor old lonesome Weller 12. When we left, a bottle of Rain went with us.

We have been to BT several times because we always enjoy the experience and the people. The bourbon ain't bad either. Freddie spent two hours with us. At 11:00 there were a half dozen other visitors so he had to go back to work.

[squire]

Good story Flyfish, made me feel like I was present.

[p_elliott]

Flyfish you got the grand tour lucky you. Glad your wife changed her mind about the tour. BT is always a good time.

[Flyfish]

Freddie said he recognized us from earlier visits. That may have influenced his decision to offer something special.

[mosugoji64]

We were in KY over the weekend as well and visited a few of the distilleries. Went to FR Cox's Creek for the first time and enjoyed it immensely. The guide was very knowledgable having worked in the warehouse for many years. I, too, got to pound a bung (agreed - it ain't so easy!), and we all got to sample some whiskey as it was dumped. It was divine! I chatted briefly with Jim Rutledge who was there for a barrel selection. He said he probably won't make it back to the Sampler this year due to other events but he's going to try. We picked up one of the gift shop exclusive FRSB, a 12 year, 10 month OBSO, that I'm looking forward to sampling soon.

We also took in the new Beam tour. What a difference from last time! I always recommended that people skip their tour before, but can now say that it's worth a trip. It starts with the basic explanations you get on all of the tours, then moves on to a tour of their new micro still. They passed around some of the new make for everyone to smell and dab a little on their fingers to taste. I took a good swig while the guide wasn't looking and thought it was pretty good. It was pleasantly corny and didn't display any of the infamous Beam yeastiness. The tour then moves on to the large-scale operations for a nice bit of contrast. Everyone gets to participate in barrel dumping and bottling along the way for some interactive fun. They also have display cases full of decanters, which make for a nice little museum. I started to argue with the guide at one point when she said that whiskey can't be labeled bourbon if it's bottled lower than 80 proof. I explained the "diluted" distinction to her but she disagreed, so I dropped the matter. No point in arguing when she was right on with most everything else. The new sampling was much improved over last time when our only choices were Beam Black and Red Gag. You can now sample from the entire Small Batch collection as well as KCSB, KC Rye, Beam White, Black, and DC, Jacob's Ghost, and the Red Gag line (if that's your thing).

We checked out the new Wild Turkey tour as well and enjoyed it, though not as much. It's nice to see the new operation, but the tour is relatively brief. Even so, it's worth a visit.

The Deluxe tour at HH was identical to the one we took a couple of years ago. The guide, however, mentioned that Henry McKenna has a different mashbill from other HH bourbons. I asked him if he was sure about that and he insisted it was so. The guide was Billy Joe, who has been there forever and should know, so I'm not sure if he meant something else or where the statement came from.

We stopped by BT and walked around for a bit but didn't have time for a tour. Having taken the Hardhat Tour a couple of years ago, we planned to take the regular tour to see the bottling line but didn't miss anything. We peeked into the Blanton's bottling hall and nothing was going on.

We're planning to check out the Town Branch and new MM tours next month during Sampler weekend (the wife needs stamps for her t-shirt!) and can't wait to get back. We always have such a good time in KY. I think it has become one of our favorite vacation spots.

[squire]

Kentucky is ideal for the Bourbon aficionado and even a non drinking spouse as well..

[Flyfish]

Anyone care to guess what this means? When I described our recent visit to BT, I totally forgot to mention what was probably the most significant thing we learned. (Freddie, I hope we're not violating any confidentiality agreement we may or may not have reached.)

[MyOldKyDram]

I'm guessing George T. Bogg?

[Flyfish]

I'm guessing George T. Bogg?

Correctomundo! Evidently Bourbon has to be made in the US (not necessarily KY) but that other stuff can be made anywhere. Maybe that's why it is called Scotch rather than Scottish. And guess who had lots and lots of used barrels that don't even need to get shipped three of four thousand miles? Why didn't somebody think of this sooner?

[squire]

American Distilleries have a long history of malt whisky production and I for one would like to see it's return.

[MyOldKyDram]

Anyone think this is for anything other than an eventual BTEC release?

[WAINWRIGHT]

Anyone think this is for anything other than an eventual BTEC release?

No I don't,but I was thinking the exact same thing.

[black mamba]

Just where are the peat bogs around Lexington? Salt, sea air is a little on the thin side as well.

[HighInTheMtns]

Just where are the peat bogs around Lexington? Salt, sea air is a little on the thin side as well.

There are peat bogs around the US but I'd bet it's imported peat. I'm hoping this isn't an attempt to duplicate Scotch but maybe a peated malt aged in new charred oak, or something else different.

BT is in Frankfort ;-)

[Josh]

Yeah, BTEC for sure. Could be interesting! Also, I believe for something to be called Scotch it does actually have to be made in Scotland.

[squire]

They acquire the peated malted barley directly from the same maltsters as used by the Scottish distillerys. As to what to call it I think Single Malt Whisky will do nicely.

[Yeti]

The first person to see a BTEC peated malt on the shelf, call me. Any time, day or night.

[Jackinbox]

I just got back home after touring Bourbon Country all day yesterday and today. Thanks again to everyone who passed along advice in the other thread. Here's my mini-review.

Buffalo Trace

We arrived here around 9:45 a.m. We stopped in the gift shop and checked in and were told that we should go explore the grounds since we had plenty of time. Our hard-hat tour was scheduled for 10:30. We took a nice walk around and on the way back as we were walking along the sidewalk I noticed two people getting out of an SUV. My first thought was "That looks just like Julian Van Winkle." As I got closer, I noticed the writing on the SUV said "Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery". We followed behind them into the gift shop and sure enough, it was him. He was there picking up something for some sort of event. The funny thing was that none of the other tourists in the gift shop seemed to recognize him. I've only been into Bourbon for around 5-6 weeks now and I even I knew it was him. Julian and what I later learned was his son (Preston?) headed into the office down at the far end. The sales people were whispering to people who were purchasing items, telling them he was there. In any event, it was time for our tour so we moved on.

I was hoping to get Freddie as our tour guide since I had read so many great things about him. It didn't matter though, as Shelly was fantastic. The tour was everything that I had hoped and then some. I'm not going to go into details about the tour since it's been covered here plenty already. The general attitude at BT was very laid back and friendly.

Tasting: Even though I already own a bottle of BT, I chose it along with Eagle Rare in order to do a side-by-side comparison. The only other option was an organic vodka that they make there. I was extremely impressed by the Eagle Rare. I've passed it up numerous times in the past, but will definitely be getting a bottle soon. This was a great example to me of how two different bottles made from the exact same recipe can taste so different. I really enjoy BT, but ER was one of the best bourbons I've tasted to date.

Wild Turkey

I'm sad to say that I was somewhat disappointed with this one. Even though I have read many reviews of the place, I guess I just had high hopes because I like their product so much. We arrived here about 12:45 for a 1:00 tour. The first thing I noticed right away was that there were twice as many visitors here as there were at BT. I'm not sure if it was because it was later in the day, or the fact that BT is not on the "official trail". The visitors center here was surprisingly small for a brand that has such a big following. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, but the tour itself pales in comparison to most of the others we took. It felt more corporate and less of a welcoming feeling.

They had already shut down for the summer. The guide said that they are shut down because they have no more warehouse space left and they can't produce any more until some space frees up for more barrels. Whether that's true or not, I have no idea. I had hoped we would spot Jimmy Russell there since a couple of my friends got to meet him there on a couple of different occasions. We were told he is in Italy this week. I knew going in that this was going to be very modern and industrial and it was.

On a side note, they said they were almost out of passports and said that after those are going that it's all going to be handled online via an app for your smartphone. I'm not sure how that's going to work since I would imagine that a good amount of people don't have a smartphone and it would seem like foolish marketing to exclude those folks.

Tasting: I tasted the Rare Breed and a Russell's Reserve Barrel Proof. I liked them both

Four Roses

We arrived about 2:45 for the 3:00 tour. I received my Mellow Moments card in the mail about a week ago and kept trying to call the phone number listed to make reservations for a VIP tour but the number kept going to a voice mailbox. I left a message and never heard back. Anyways, they had plenty of space at 3:00 so it wasn't a problem. We had a great guide and really enjoyed the beautiful facilities here. We will definitely return here in the future. Next time I'll probably spring for the $57 bottle of Single Barrel.

Tasting: They give you a sample of the Yellow Label, Small Batch and the Single Barrel. I already own a bottle of the Single Barrel but it was nice to be able to compare to the other two. The big shock for me was that I absolutely LOVED the Yellow Label. I've stayed away from it in the past due to mixed reviews, but something about it really works for me. I picked up a bottle of this tonight on my way home. I'm really glad I got the opportunity to taste it as it might have been many months or even years before I ever would have bothered to try it on my own.

After that we went and checked in at the hotel, had dinner and spent a good hour at the Liquor Barn on Hurstbourne Parkway. That was enough for 1 day, so we went to bed early.

Maker's Mark

Getting here was a bit tricky as my GPS took me on a really strange route out in the middle of nowhere down a narrow 2-lane road that was about 60% as wide as a normal country road. I finally found it and arrived about 8:45. The plan was to hang out and visit the gift shop for a bit before the tour at 9:30. When we pulled into the parking lot, we were the only ones there. It turns out that the place really doesn't open at all until 9:30 (for some reason I thought it was 9:00). The tour was excellent. It's much more polished, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The tour guide definitely knew his stuff. I probably drove him crazy with all of my questions, but he always was very pleasant when he answered. Most of the group on this tour (as well as the Jim Beam tour) didn't seem to know anything about bourbon. There's nothing wrong with that, I'm simply making an observation. Overall, I'd have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the visit here. I was worried that it would be more theme-park than informative, but I learned quite a bit. When we got to the gift shop, I was going to dip a bottle in wax myself, but the prices were just way too steep for me. I knew I'd pay extra for this, but I didn't really want to spend $46 on a 1L. I ended up grabbing a 750ml at Meijer for $20.99.

Tasting: They give you samples of their White Dog, MM, MM46 and what they call "over-matured" MM which is aged for 9 years instead of 6. I hated the white dog, but I've never had one that I've liked so that was no big surprise. I happen to like MM, and I did like the 46 as well (this was my first time tasting the 46). The "over-matured" wasn't very good at all. They were basically selling the point that that you shouldn't really age bourbon that long because it will be like overcooking food. I do like Weller 12, so I don't know about that. Perhaps MM doesn't taste good when it is aged for that long.

I got directions from our tour guide as to a better way to get to Bardstown. The way he gave me was simple as could be. Why my GPS took me out there the way it did, I'll never know.

Heaven Hill

We arrived here about 11:30 for a 12:10 tour. The museum was actually pretty informative. There were a lot of exhibits and they were all very interesting to me. The gift shop here is extensive and the prices are reasonable. The tour was just a walk across the street to a warehouse. That's understandable since there is no longer a distillery there. The tour guide was pretty robotic and didn't really have much to offer other than the same things we'd heard on previous tours. I did however get some good info from one of the gentlemen in the gift shop. I asked about the return of EC18 and he said that right now that juice is about 15 years old and they will have it again in 3 years. He also said that there was the possibility of a small allocation coming in a few months. He said that one vendor had decided not to take shipment of an order that they had placed. I wonder if he meant that perhaps they got a big return from someone like Costco? I thought it had been gone for about a year or so, so it didn't seem to make sense to me that a pending order would sit around for that long.

Tasting: EWSB Vintage 2001 and EC12. The EC12 was good, but nothing that I'd run out and buy right away. The EWSB 2001 wasn't even close to as good as the 2003 bottle I own.

Jim Beam

We arrived here at 2:25, just in time for the 2:30 tour after a nice lunch at Kurtz Restaurant. Overall, this was another pleasant surprise. I expected a very generic, scripted tour and in some ways it was both of those things, but we got to see some things here that we didn't see anywhere else (seeing a barrel being filled, seeing a high-speed bottling line in action). The tour guide was OK, but not great. She did go on a rant about Jack Daniel's not being bourbon because they "filter with charcoal" and how you can't call it bourbon "if any filtering is done", but this didn't really surprise me.

Tasting: Great tasting options, since they give you a card that lets you pick just about anything in the Beam line. I tried the Jim Beam Black and Booker's. I didn't like the Black at all and I realize that I'm in the minority there. It generally gets good marks around here, but I could taste something odd in the overall flavor profile. I'm not experienced enough yet to say what it was, but there was something about it that tasted foul to me. Booker's, on the other hand was amazing. I want a bottle of this stuff! So smooth for such a high proof and just the right amount of bite.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me plan this fantastic trip.

[ChainWhip]

Thanks for the report. The tidbit on the EC18 is encouraging!

Edited June 1, 2013 by ChainWhip

[mosugoji64]

Great report, Jack! Makes me want to drive down and do it all over again myself!

[GaryT]

Very nice report! Sounds like a great time! If you're ever back at Maker's and want to dip a bottle, you can cheat a little and buy a 375 mL (or at least you could when I was there). Still over-priced, which is standard gift shop practice to avoid competing with retailers, but not outrageous (and fun!) Also glad to hear that the EC18 may return in a few more years!

[squire]

Very good notes Jack, thanks for posting.

[p_elliott]

Next time you or anyone else for that matter go to Bardstown visit the FR Cox Creek facility just down the road from Jim Beam. No distillery but this is their filling, aging, and bottling facility very cool and they show you every thing. Glad you had a great first trip but you can't have just one. On one other note Distilleries all shut down in the summer because the heat does a number on the yeast. WT may have just done it a little earlier because they have doubled their producing capacities with out increasing their warehouse capacities. They need to start building warehouses or the whole new distillery thing was a waste of time.

Edited June 1, 2013 by p_elliott

[smokinjoe]

Thanks for that great write-up, JIB. Makes me want to head back to the Motherland for more tours right now! I don't think anyone has submitted a finer post so early into their SB.Com experience as you have with this one, Jack. Really, really, nice job!

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