Tales from our first trip to the trail

[kcgumbohead]

Given that we were traveling up from Atlanta it seemed wise to divide the trip into 2 halves, the Lexington side with 5 stops (BT, WR, WT, 4R, TB) and the Louisville side (MM, HH, JB). Louisville had the fewest stops and the latest hours so it was the best choice for combined travel and touring.

1) Makers Mark: $7.00 ea. We arrived as the skies opened up and drenched the grounds. The drive in is beautiful and the whole area is the kind of place where you want to walk around and spend some time. The weather as expected wasn't the best for that and I have tasted MM many times so we picked up passports, snapped some photos and deferred the tour for a future visit. I wasn't sure if we could get to HH and JB by closing time so that also factored into the decision.

2) Heaven Hill: $3 or 5.00 ea. Not as picturesque as MM but a must on my itinerary as I had never had any HH products and the trail was going to be a chance to compare in rapid succession a number of bourbons I had on my list. There is no distillery at this location, it consists of the heritage center, rickhouses and the bottling facility. The tour began as soon as we arrived and got our passports stamped. The rain let up a bit as we stepped into the rickhouse with our guide Deb. She gave a very nice talk about HH and bourbon. The smell of a rickhouse itself is worth the trip. We then toured the heritage center which is beautifully made with appropriate features of limestone, copper and white oak, next up the first tasting of the trip!! Evan Williams single Barrel and Elijah Craig 12 were set out in front of us in the HH barrel themed tasting room along with 2 vials of "scents". I didn't realize how fortunate I was that HH was our first tasting. My wife has never tasted bourbon though she enjoys "nosing" all of my pours she was never brave enough to have a taste. The way the tasting was conducted made bourbon so approachable that she actually tried the samples. HH begins with the scent vials and relates them to some of the things often described in discussions of bourbon. Next a swirl of the samples in proper Glencarin glasses to note the body of the beverage, only then did we progress to tasting and the finish. After the EC 12 tasting my wife turned to me with a surprised look and said " Oh my god, I think I like bourbon!!".

I can't stress enough the importance of the tasting and how it is conducted when travelling with bourbon virgins. I am convinced that this will make new fans if conducted properly, as this was, or turn them off completely if its botched, well done Heaven Hill!!! 2 new fans of EC12 left the tasting room that day, a bottle will always be on the shelf at our house and its thanks to that great experience, consider this when drawing up your itinerary.

3) Jim Beam: $8.00 ea.Beautiful grounds and facilities, travel put us in too late for a tour but a free tasting was offered as soon as we entered the gift-shop building and got our passport stamps. I was very eager to do the tasting at JB as I am one of those that is put off by the JB "funk". I was curious what I would think of the black label and I had never tried Basil Hayden or Bakers. The JB tasting experience is the polar opposite of HH. Upon entering the tasting building you are given a plastic card with instructions on how to insert it into the dispensers that will issue 2 samples from the entire JB product line. That was it, no discussion, no advice, just a couple of cups, your card and have at it. This place was also packed with people whereas HH only had 7 of us on the tour/tasting. My wife opted out so I got 4 samples. The black was much better than the white though I could still detect some off flavor but not the the degree that it slams me with that white label. I actually enjoyed the Basil, Bakers and thought the Bookers was the pick of the litter.

Day 2:

4) Wild Turkey: FREE Another of my must tastes as I've had WT many years prior but this would be a fresh experience, really a first taste.Passport stamped & on to business, we had to get on the list for the following tour. The gift shop/tour start point/tasting room is in an old house and a nice environment to hang out in for a bit. We sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch and compared trail notes with other visitors. The tour covered the distillery building (brand new) and a rickhouse. We were told that the old distillery was located on a vacant lot directly across from the rickhouse we were standing in and that all the WT currently in stores is from that now extinct distillery. The new distilleries output is so new that it hadn't yet reached tasting age. I wonder if that is of any concern to the WT aficionados on the board ? New WT vs the juice from the old distillery? The facility was on summer shut down but the tour was a nice length, interesting and informative. A bus ride back to the house led to a tasting of any 2 of the WT offerings which were 101, honey, RR, RB, KS. This time around my wife was curious about the honey so it was one of those with a KS, RB, RR. The Kentucky spirit, Russells Reserve and rare Breed were all good. I realized very quickly that I am a Wild Turkey fan and left with a 375 Rare Breed to enjoy later.

5) Woodford Reserve:$7.00 ea. When we arrived after lunch the parking lot was full and cars were directed to park on the adjacent hillside. We got our stamps and our tour time. This is a Brown Forman operation and given that they run Jack Daniels the tour was the slickest of all of our stops, hugely popular, crowded but run with precision. The grounds are historic and just to be on the site of so much bourbon history makes this a great stop. The distillery with the copper pot still is a showplace and the stone rickhouses are great picture taking spots. The tasting was buffet style with little plastic cups set out and again no discussion of what or how tasting might be done. I have been a WR fan for many years so I enjoyed both our samples. They provide only standard WR though they market the crap out of double oaked throughout the tour.

6) Town Branch: $7.00 ea.A little tough to find but plenty of parking and a beautiful facility in the city of Lexington. We got our stamps but just missed the tour, this will be another like MM that will happen on a future trip. I did manage to have some of their bourbon barrel ale with dinner so a tasting of sorts eventually happened, much enjoyed and I will seek it out here at home.

It had become obvious by now that to get the full experience 2 tours per day were the maximum. In order to enjoy each stop and tour the grounds and do it within the distilleries hours of operation its really tough to attempt more than 2, good thing we had another day.

Day 3:

7) Four Roses: FREE I planned this as the high point of the trip as I am a huge fan of 4R. We arrived even before the first tour and along with other die hards waited for them to open. Passports stamped and COMPLETE!! Our tour began, once again this distillery like WT was on a summer shut down but unlike WT the tour was a partial as they disassemble some sections for cleaning so tours aren't permitted where they would normally go when the distillery is operating. The tasting features all three regular pours, thankfully in glass vs plastic and with a description of each though nowhere near the depth of HH on day 1. All three were delicious but the pours were a bit healthier than the other stops and I am used to savoring my 4R so I would have liked a bit more time in there to consume them properly.The bottling facility is not onsite so this is a distillery/giftshop type of experience, no rickhouses to tour here.

8) Buffalo trace: FREE While not on the official bourbon trail there was no way I was going to miss out on BT. We did the free tour and again this was a scenic distillery with plenty to enjoy on the grounds. The tour of the bottling line was especially interesting and highlights how each distillery offers something different and tells their story in a unique way keeping it interesting for those hitting multiple trail stops. The rickhouses here are of brick and it gives the whole facility a different look like WR. There is some really interesting stuff in the giftshop/tour waiting area in the way of historical bourbon artifacts in glass display cases. The tour was thorough and interesting though I plan to return for the in depth hard hat tour. The tasting features white dog, standard BT and Eagle rare. None of the wheaters or BTAC or BTEC offerings here (not surprised). I like standard BT very much but didn't care for the bottle of ER I had tried in the past. I was eager to give it a second chance as it is a single barrel and this time I quite enjoyed it, I can now look forward to some more of that in the future. The tasting was a huge group but was the second best compared to HH in terms of descriptions given during the session. A bit later I stepped into a smaller room in the giftshop where a much smaller tasting was being conducted. This was really great as the BT staffer was going into the actual chemistry of the bourbon, no one seemed to mind my sitting in on this session. I wonder if it is for those considering purchasing a bottle at the giftshop or its part of some other tour as they have several options, whatever the case it was the most interesting and informative bourbon tasting discussion of all. The Mrs. was bourboned out by this point so she was shopping but I highly recommend seeking that experience out.

That's one way to travel the bourbon trail and complete your passport. Missed a couple tours but all in all a highly successful trip and we had a great time. Thankfully the unusual weather made for comfortable touring even though it was July. I achieved my goal of sampling a good number of bourbons I was not familiar with and came away with some new favorites.

[Yeti]

Very nice writeup of a whiplash inducing run through bourbon country!

There is some really interesting stuff in the giftshop/tour waiting area in the way of historical bourbon artifacts in glass display cases.

If this kind of thing strikes your fancy you should definitely find some time on your return visit to stop at the Oscar Getz museum in Bardstown. The most complete collection of bourbon antiquity I can imagine.

[Richnimrod]

Wow! Very nice article indeed. If I were to type that much (using my one semi-useful typing finger)..... I think I might wind up in a cast for several weex. GOOD JOB!!!!

[GaryT]

Nice write-up! Very ambitious tackling all that in two days! My old man and I did our first "trail" two years ago, but split it over 3 days. Agree with Yeti on the Oscar Getz Museum in Bardstown - some amazing things in that collection! And as you sort out what you like/dislike, you'll find that some offerings in the gift shops (I'm looking at you Four Roses!) are not to be missed! Although - they're not always available either

[squire]

That was quite a whirlwind kc, glad your wife enjoyed the trip.

[Bourbon Boiler]

Very good points about the Heaven Hill tasting - something we veterans probably take for granted too often. It was there that I first started to identify flavors, and started categorizing pours by age, mash, and proof rather than all of it just being "whiskey".

[p_elliott]

You can tour the FR bottling and aging facility it's called Cox Creek it's over by JB on the Clermont road.

[cowdery]

It's interesting that so many of the distilleries are now charging for the tours. They're not really doing it to make money. They're doing it because the tours have become so popular, they're trying to discourage commercial tour groups that pad their tours with free activities, and folks with only the most casual of interest.

Even places like Beam and Maker's, where they have invested millions in upgrading their tours and increasing visitor capacity, are absolutely buried with visitors during the summer. The growth just in the last two or three years has been phenomenal.

[p_elliott]

Cox Creek is still free

[theglobalguy]

It's interesting that so many of the distilleries are now charging for the tours. They're not really doing it to make money. They're doing it because the tours have become so popular, they're trying to discourage commercial tour groups that pad their tours with free activities, and folks with only the most casual of interest.

Even places like Beam and Maker's, where they have invested millions in upgrading their tours and increasing visitor capacity, are absolutely buried with visitors during the summer. The growth just in the last two or three years has been phenomenal.

I'd venture a guess that they're pouring it back into the construction and staffing. To their credit, as more folks visit they've upped the frequency of the tours and the # of staff in the GS to answer questions. Sure it doesn't hurt that they're selling a good deal of product (bourbon or otherwise) to a certain % of the guests.

Will say, the $ amount is just a bout right. Not enough to deter someone who actually likes the product but enough to keep people honest (i.e. multiple passes at the same place in succession for free product).

[kcgumbohead]

Very nice writeup of a whiplash inducing run through bourbon country!

If this kind of thing strikes your fancy you should definitely find some time on your return visit to stop at the Oscar Getz museum in Bardstown. The most complete collection of bourbon antiquity I can imagine.

Thats on the list for the next (already being discussed )trip

[kcgumbohead]

Wow! Very nice article indeed. If I were to type that much (using my one semi-useful typing finger)..... I think I might wind up in a cast for several weex. GOOD JOB!!!!

Thanks, that's the edited version I was at over 13000 characters and had to trim a good deal out. I guess I can get chatty bout this whole bourbon thing. I tried to give an overview of how, if one was looking to attempt it, the trail could be done and still be enjoyable, we enjoyed the hell out of it. Tough to know how to tackle a trip like that so I hope it is useful to someone out there.

[kcgumbohead]

You can tour the FR bottling and aging facility it's called Cox Creek it's over by JB on the Clermont road.

Damn near did a bicycle turn in the car when I saw the sign, got there too late but it will be the crown jewel of the next trip. Can you purchase G.S. bottles there as well?

[kcgumbohead]

Very good points about the Heaven Hill tasting - something we veterans probably take for granted too often. It was there that I first started to identify flavors, and started categorizing pours by age, mash, and proof rather than all of it just being "whiskey".

That's exactly why I made the point of it that I did. We met so many people on the tour that were not bourbon drinkers and its a HUGE opportunity for the distillers if handled in a way the makes trying bourbon interesting, and fun. We directed them all to HH because some were already put off by the couple of experiences they had. My wife became quite the bourbon ambassador for someone who would never try it pre-trip.

[kcgumbohead]

That was quite a whirlwind kc, glad your wife enjoyed the trip.

Me too, after all these years she still surprises me. She was the first to suggest that there should be a return trip, gotta love that.

[theglobalguy]

Damn near did a bicycle turn in the car when I saw the sign, got there too late but it will be the crown jewel of the next trip. Can you purchase G.S. bottles there as well?

Yes, but call first! I have no idea how they distribute between the two, but would assume the Lawrenceburg location gets the majority.

[p_elliott]

Damn near did a bicycle turn in the car when I saw the sign, got there too late but it will be the crown jewel of the next trip. Can you purchase G.S. bottles there as well?