What Has Been Your Favorite Distillery Tour?

[DeanSheen]

What a good looking group of GBS members.

Joy to the world!

[Moretorque05]

We did the "2011 Kentucky Bourbon Trail" plus Buffalo Trace last month. They were all unique in their own way. Woodford Reserve was beautiful. We had a great guide at Jim Beam. We were the only 2 on the tour at four roses and they took all the time in the world with us. Wild Turkey had a great looking new facility... That's about it. Buffalo Trace was unexpectedly huge, smelled wonderful all over, but the tour got a bit long. Hard hat for sure next time. Heaven Hill has awesome history and timelines. Makers Mark was just cool!

Can't wait to go back next year to see the revamped Beam tour!

[Bourbon Boiler]

We did the "2011 Kentucky Bourbon Trail" plus Buffalo Trace last month. They were all unique in their own way. Woodford Reserve was beautiful. We had a great guide at Jim Beam. We were the only 2 on the tour at four roses and they took all the time in the world with us. Wild Turkey had a great looking new facility... That's about it. Buffalo Trace was unexpectedly huge, smelled wonderful all over, but the tour got a bit long. Hard hat for sure next time. Heaven Hill has awesome history and timelines. Makers Mark was just cool!

Can't wait to go back next year to see the revamped Beam tour!

Add Barton next year if you get a chance. It's not really all that different from your others, but if you're in the area, you might as well hit 8 instead of 7.

[Beer&Bourbon]

My wife is taking me to the trail for my Christmas present this year since I've yet to go after talking about it for years.

Here's the order we'll be going:

WT

WR

Barton

HH

MM

4R Cox's Creek

BT Hard Hat

I wasn't really concerned about Jim Beam since everyone here seems to think it's a waste of time, but the schedule has a bit of time free 30-45 min.s or so between the 4R and BT tours. Since it's only 5 min.s from 4R Cox's Creek, I wondered if you all thought it would be worth the time/ effort to fit it in. Can we rush the tour in a half hour? Also, is the shirt they give out for hitting all the stops on the trail decent? (This is assuming that I'll get the 4R stamp for the Cox's Creek tour.)

We'll also be hitting up the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History.

Unfortunately we'll miss out on a cooperage tour since we're only there for one week day (taken up by the special 4R and BT tours). The only special tours we're missing out on (that I know of) are the WR Corn to cork and the HH pricey one.

It looks like we'll be staying in Bardstown both nights (Sat and Sun). I was looking to go to The Old Talbott Tavern and maybe The Old Stable. Looking for country cooking at a decent price with some bourbons to sample. Suggestions/ comments on these places welcomed and encouraged.

Thanks to the board for all of the great information! I'm excited to hit most things in one trip - I'll probably drive down some mid-week day for the cooperage and WR Corn to cork tours just to be complete (maybe HH, but I figure the deluxe tour is going to hit most of the stuff I want to see; anyone know the difference between the deluxe and pricey? The website says a 1.5 hr time difference as well as better bourbon, but that's all I've found.)

Thanks all and cheers!

Roger

[keith18]

My wife and I did the Bourbon trail a couple of years ago. Our favorite was Woodford Reserve. Makers was second. I didn't fully appreciate, before my visit, that distilling is a lot like manufacturing--that's why the bigger guys look a lot like factories.

For anyone in Virginia, DC, or Maryland, I would suggest visiting the Copper Fox distillery in Sperryville, VA. They aren't making bourbon yet--they are making single malt whiskey and a barley/rye mix, but they have plans to make bourbon in the near future. They claim to be the only distillery in the US malting its own barley and I thought that was a really neat to see. (I haven't seen anyone else malting barley.) He's got a fantastic little operation.

[Bourbon Boiler]

My wife is taking me to the trail for my Christmas present this year since I've yet to go after talking about it for years.

Here's the order we'll be going:

WT

WR

Barton

HH

MM

4R Cox's Creek

BT Hard Hat

I wasn't really concerned about Jim Beam since everyone here seems to think it's a waste of time, but the schedule has a bit of time free 30-45 min.s or so between the 4R and BT tours. Since it's only 5 min.s from 4R Cox's Creek, I wondered if you all thought it would be worth the time/ effort to fit it in. Can we rush the tour in a half hour? Also, is the shirt they give out for hitting all the stops on the trail decent? (This is assuming that I'll get the 4R stamp for the Cox's Creek tour.)

We'll also be hitting up the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History.

Unfortunately we'll miss out on a cooperage tour since we're only there for one week day (taken up by the special 4R and BT tours). The only special tours we're missing out on (that I know of) are the WR Corn to cork and the HH pricey one.

It looks like we'll be staying in Bardstown both nights (Sat and Sun). I was looking to go to The Old Talbott Tavern and maybe The Old Stable. Looking for country cooking at a decent price with some bourbons to sample. Suggestions/ comments on these places welcomed and encouraged.

Thanks to the board for all of the great information! I'm excited to hit most things in one trip - I'll probably drive down some mid-week day for the cooperage and WR Corn to cork tours just to be complete (maybe HH, but I figure the deluxe tour is going to hit most of the stuff I want to see; anyone know the difference between the deluxe and pricey? The website says a 1.5 hr time difference as well as better bourbon, but that's all I've found.)

Thanks all and cheers!

Roger

The shirt is a shirt, kinda cool to show people that don't know bouborn as a conversation piece, but not really important. The Beam "tour" it's really a video and a few artifacts, is much more about the history of the company than the product. I find that stuff interesting, so it's not a total waste of time. I wouldn't worry about planning it in advance. It's not that far from Bardstown, so if you have an extra hour, you can decide then if you'd rather make another stop or move on to something else. It's not like you need a reservation. The tasting will contain at least one of their Small Batch collection (Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Bakers, & Bookers), which I find pretty good, but they're not exactly rare.

[Beer&Bourbon]

We ended up going to Beam just to get the stamp since we had extra time on Sunday morning. It was raining so we didn't do any of the tour, just the tasting. They poured Devil's Cut and Red Stag. Really? I know it's free, but shouldn't you pour at least one of your small batch collection bottles for the bourbon lovers? I have to assume most of the people did, after all, come to Beam because they (or a loved one) likes/loves bourbon.

That said Devil's cut is ok. The Red Stag was undrinkable. The pourer tried to appeal to my wife when I suggested such at the tasting. Her reply? "It's syrupy sweet and undrinkable; I'd certainly prefer to sip on the devil's cut given the choice." <--- that's my wife

[Bourbon Boiler]

Huh. In my 3 visits to Beam, once I missed the tasting because they were closing. Another time it was Bookers and Devil's Cut, and another it was Basil Hayden & Knob Creek. I always assumed that at least one Small Batch offering would be available at all times.

I personally like how WT puts out six, and let's visitors decide which two to pick. BT is similar, but with fewer options IIRC.

[Beer&Bourbon]

I personally like how WT puts out six, and let's visitors decide which two to pick. BT is similar, but with fewer options IIRC.

We must have got the raw end of the tasting stick then. We only got Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and the Buffalo Trace cream (at least I got to try the cream without having to spend $20 for a bottle; not bad). Going into it I knew I wasn't a big fan of BT or ER so it wasn't too exciting.

All-in-all I didn't really get to try things I hadn't had before (except Red Stag and BT Cream), but the free tastings are certainly a nice little extra. If I didn't live in bourbon country it would certainly have helped me decide what to take home.

[Bourbon Boiler]

We must have got the raw end of the tasting stick then. We only got Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and the Buffalo Trace cream (at least I got to try the cream without having to spend $20 for a bottle; not bad). Going into it I knew I wasn't a big fan of BT or ER so it wasn't too exciting.

All-in-all I didn't really get to try things I hadn't had before (except Red Stag and BT Cream), but the free tastings are certainly a nice little extra. If I didn't live in bourbon country it would certainly have helped me decide what to take home.

I may have this mixed up, but I think we got to pick from the 3 you show above, and white dog #2. However, I really like the ER so I was happy with it.

[Young Blacksmith]

My wife and I are planning a trip up there between Christmas and New Years.

Looking at doing the HH extended tour on the way up to Louisville, then 4R, WR, and BT the next day, with a drive by Old Taylor and Old Crow. 4R Cox Creek and possibly Barton on the way back home.

Probably see Brown Foreman's office complex with the large Old Forester on top since I'll be in Louisville. I don't want to do everything bourbon, but use the distilleries as a major hinge for the trip.

Any of the Urban Bourbon Trail stops better than the rest in Louisville?

Anything else I can't miss for a 2 night trip?

[cowdery]

Bourbon's Bistro probably is the definitive place in Louisville for good bourbon and a good meal. If you want to stay downtown, the Maker's Mark Lounge is quite good, and doesn't just carry Maker's Mark. For the more adventurous, I recommend Proof on Main.

Depending on your sporting preference, both the Muhammad Ali Center and the Kentucky Derby Museum are first class, as is the Falls of the Ohio visitor center on the Indiana side of the river. The Louisville Slugger Museum is a quick visit and conveniently located.

[Beer&Bourbon]

I've been meaning to post some more in-depth notes about my trip to the distilleries, but I haven't. Here's a ranking of the places we visited on the trip:

Four Roses Cox's Creek

BT Hard Hat

Four Roses Distillery

Oscar Getz Whiskey Museum

Heaven Hill

Barton/ 1792

Wild Turkey

Maker's Mark

Woodford Reserve

Jim Beam

Cox's Creek was great. You got to see everything post-distillation including barreling, aging, barrel emptying, and filtering. I don't recall seeing a bottling line though; I assume it's done there, but can't seem to remember without my notes. We got to taste bourbon straight from the barrel (with beautiful char chunks included). Incredible experience.

BT Hard Hat was a great thorough explanation of the entire distillation process. We got to taste some white dog and even see what was done with the spent grain after mashing. The buildings here are unique and quite different from any other distillery. I loved the architecture here and the feel of the place.

4R distillery was also a very thorough explanation of the distilling process. The mission-style architecture here was also thoroughly enjoyable. As a Mellow Moments member you'll also get to try the export only bottles (in addition to all of the regular products 4R offers). Great tasting, phenomenal bourbon, great experience.

The Whiskey Museum is a spot not to miss on the trail. We scheduled it on a Sunday along with Maker's Mark (which is well out of the way of anything else). You get to see filled bottles, posters, memorabilia, and much more here. I loved looking through everything (even though I really wanted to sample a few of the bottles; how can they put that stuff behind glass??).

We didn't get to tour HH, but had a phenomenal tasting that included William Heaven Hill (thanks DocBible!), EC 20, PHC Wheater (thanks proof and age!), and a few others. I highly recommend letting them know that you're interested in purchasing a few of the bottles and would like to try some things before making your decision.

Full disclosure: VOB is a favorite of mine. I love VOB and was thoroughly excited to visit Barton/1792. They took us through the VOB aging warehouse first, which was great. We also got a good run down of the grain milling/ mashing/ fermenting/ distilling process. We went on a Saturday so we didn't actually see anyone except for the bottling line guys there. Our tour guide was very thorough and walked us through the whole bottling line with explanations of everything. They had a decent gift shop where they have a tasting of VOB and 1792 at the end of the tour.

Because of the reactions here, I thought Wild Turkey might be a let down so I scheduled it first (to have low expectations). That said, I was like a kid in a candy store. We looked around the gift shop which has an ample selection (not all of them do) while waiting. We then got to tour the whole property and the whole process. Some friends got to meet Jimmy Russell on their trip (we did not). They let you choose 2 products from their line up (WT Rye and Tradition we not options). With 4 people we got to sample everything interesting (although I imagine most have had the stuff before anyway).

Maker's Mark was beautiful in an over-the-top storybook way. The buildings are all black. Since we went in November there were wreaths everywhere, which looked great. They do use the cyprus fermenters which are incredibly cool and encourage you to taste the fermenting wort. The bottling line was closed, but normally you get to see them dipping the bottles (this is probably the most interesting bottling line if that's what you're into). The gift shop is pretty decent. They had some overpriced needle point stuff that I wanted (but didn't buy). You can also dip your own bottle for an additional price, but I skipped that as well (we were on a budget and let's face it, it's a bottle of Maker's no matter what the wax looks like).

Woodford was much the same as others. Driving here from Wild Turkey is highly recommended! The drive into Woodford was some of the most beautiful we saw on our trip. Plus, you're driving some back roads which few people drive on so you can test out your car here. Woodford itself was somewhat artificial feeling. You see the whole process, but they don't really want you to taste the fermenting product (just hold back momentarily and you can; I did). They pass around the white dog (I tasted that as well, but the tour guide wasn't happy about it). They pour some Woodford straight from the barrel as well, but they only want you to smell it and look at it (by this point the tour guide wouldn't let me or my group touch the glass - he held it up for us to smell so I couldn't try it). Our tour guide was somewhat stuck up and a real bore. They've got some merchandise, but less than I expected. I ended up getting a mug since I didn't really like their glassware selection.

We only stopped briefly at Beam. We were there when they opened, but it was raining so we opted out of the tour. The gift shop is large and has a decent selection of branded items. The tasting consisted of Devil's Cut and Red Stag, which wasn't supremely exciting. The girl who served the drinks tried to insert some interesting tidbits. Maybe the tour is worth it, but by this point I can't imagine we would have seen something we hadn't seen elsewhere.

When I get down for a second trip, getting to a cooperage is first on my list of priorities. I'll likely hit up 4R Cox's Creek, BT (ghost tour?), and Heaven Hill as well since I think they offer enough to warrant a second visit. If time permits we'd probably do 4R distillery again as well.

Here are some pictures of a few of the distilleries (I'm out of uploads for flickr so I'll post the others at some point):

Barton/ bardstown:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76516153@N07/sets/72157629296668881/

Buffalo Trace:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76516153@N07/sets/72157629296873445/

4R Cox's Creek:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76516153@N07/sets/72157629297059161/

Heaven Hill:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76516153@N07/sets/72157629297061653/

[cowdery]

Some of us have visited the distilleries so many times over so many years that we're inevitably a bit jaded. It's nice to see them through fresh eyes, especially when you clearly enjoyed it a lot.

I agree about the drive from Turkey to Woodford but be careful. I know of some serious accidents that have occurred there.

[Bourbon Boiler]

I took a sip of the barrel proof Woodford as well. The guide was as happy with me as (s)he was with you. I wasn't the one assigned to catch it from the barrel; I just held out a glass from a previous tour that was in my pocket, caught a little, and consumed.

[mosugoji64]

I took a sip of the barrel proof Woodford as well. The guide was as happy with me as (s)he was with you. I wasn't the one assigned to catch it from the barrel; I just held out a glass from a previous tour that was in my pocket, caught a little, and consumed.

Well played, sir. Well played!

[cowdery]

That would be a good sweepstakes prize for a distillery. The prize would be they hand you a drill, a glass, and give you one hour in the warehouse. Half an hour would probably be plenty. They even give you a supermodel in a bikini to follow along with wooden pegs and a hammer to plug the holes.

After the winner has tapped a few barrels, she might be glad she has that hammer.

Hey, that's another great reality show idea.

[Bourbon Boiler]

^^And if you win and never pay a bit of attention to the model in a bikini, you may have a bourbon problem.

[TheDude]

I concur with the BT Hard Hat tour... none better!

Same here, and I've been on almost all of them. I take out-of-town clients on the BT hard hat tour if they really want to know about bourbon and actually see the whole production cycle.

But if they are more interested in scenery, you can't beat the grounds (and scenic drive) of Woodford and Maker's.

[TradingBoiler]

I'm concurring with a lot of the other posts, but Freddie at BT leading the hard hat tour is hands down the most fun, professional, and informative (both history and distilling process) than any tour I've ever been on.

[tmckenzie]

We were in KY last week to look at a new still. Had time to visit some of the distilleries. The new wild turkey place is something else. I am sad to say the old distillery has been razed and the new plant is all automated. I think the whikey will suffer for it too. Toured barton, it is shut down, only running a few months out of the year, but sazerac is sprucing things up a good bit. Everywhere we went, expansion is taking place. Went to the old willet place and look for great things out of there, they really have a top notch setup, I was very impressed, they took the time to do it right. Also, it is amazing some of the crap tour guides come up with.

[mosugoji64]

We were in KY last week to look at a new still. Had time to visit some of the distilleries. The new wild turkey place is something else. I am sad to say the old distillery has been razed and the new plant is all automated. I think the whikey will suffer for it too. Toured barton, it is shut down, only running a few months out of the year, but sazerac is sprucing things up a good bit. Everywhere we went, expansion is taking place. Went to the old willet place and look for great things out of there, they really have a top notch setup, I was very impressed, they took the time to do it right. Also, it is amazing some of the crap tour guides come up with.

Did the folks at Barton mention if they'll be doing any distilling later this month? I was thinking about trying to set up a tour during Sampler weekend. Think it would be worth the time?

[cowdery]

I've toured distilleries when they are operating and when they are not. About the only difference when they're operating is that there is mash in the fermenters -- though that doesn't matter at Barton since their fermenters are enclosed and you can't see if they're loaded or not -- and it's noisy and hot. When not operating you can still see the layout, what equipment they have. I would never advise someone that a distillery isn't worth visiting when it's not in operation.

[tmckenzie]

From what I understand, they will not fire back off till this fall. But it is still worth the visit.

[mosugoji64]

Thanks for the input. I'll try to schedule a Barton visit while we're there. If anyone is interested in organizing a Saturday tour, let me know.