My Distillery Tours

[CL]

[This post was written on 7/3/02, but not posted until 7/4/02.]

I visited four distilleries today with varying results - Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Labrot & Graham in Versailles, Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg, and Jim Beam in Clermont.

I left Louisville (where I was staying with relatives) about 7:45 am and arrived at BT in plenty of time for the 9 am tour. BT isn't postcard pretty, but it was the most authentic of the places I visited. The site has been used for almost 200 years. The town has grown up around it and there are several government buildings and businesses around it now.

I was the only person there for the 9 am tour, but that didn't bother them. They started on time with just me. Later, another couple with a very young child joined.

The tour guide had grown up in the area. His dad had worked at the distillery and he himself had worked at the distillery for 40 years. He was very knowledgeable, of course. We walked among several buildings (a nice touch), starting with a visitor's conference room (small building with TV). The AV gear wasn't working, so the guide just started with a dialogue. Among the interesting facts I learned in this room was the evaporation of the whiskey in the barrel. They had four demo barrels on their sides with clear ends. The barrels had various ages of bourbon. The new barrel was full with a clear liquid. The oldest barrel was about 1/3 full with the amber liquid we love so much.

The next thing we saw was a warehouse (I love that smell!). The guide mentioned that next to the master distiller, the warehouse supervisor was the most important because he knows how the bourbon ages among and within the different warehouses.

After that we walked to different buildings where they filled the barrels and where they bottled the single barrel. We were not shown any fermentation tanks or distilling. (I may be wrong on part of this. There were five steel vats in what I thought was the room where they filled the barrels. We couldn't see the tops of the vats. I didn't catch everything the guide was saying. I guess I was still asleep.)

Guess what I saw in the bottling room? Old Rip labels on the boxes. I asked what was up. It turns out that BT was bottling some of the Old Rip product, but the guide said that's all that they were doing. In this same room, they also had a bottle of Pappy 20 yo amongst the display of BT products.

After the tour, we did taste Buffalo Trace bourbon, but out of plastic cups. I was disappointed that we didn't get to taste the other brands. During the tour, unfortunately, we didn't hear much about the 19 different products produced there, but there was a story about Col. Blanton and the single barrel bourbon named in his honor.

The BT gift shop was nice and had reasonable prices. I bought a high quality t-shirt ($12), a baseball hat (forgot how much), and a bottle of BT bourbon signed by Elmer T. Lee. I was surprised by the reasonable price on the bourbon; Liquor Barn in Louisville has the unsigned product for $18.

The gift shop was geared towards the BT name brand bourbon. There was little to suggest the many other products produced there, though they did have a few of their very old ultra-premium bottlings for sale. No Elmer T. Lee SB, though. I would have bought an extra bottle if they did.

The L&G distillery was only 20 minutes from BT. I was able to easily make the 11:00 tour at L&G. If BT was down home and authentic, then L&G was uptown and polished. L&G was postcard perfect. It was set among luscious, green horse farms. The visitor's center was completely remodeled and immaculate (as was the rest of the location). It contained several museum-quality displays. I don't recall it being a historic site, but if it isn't, they sure are shooting for it.

The tour crowd at L&G was big. It was mostly established, professional, upper middle class adults in their fifties or later. The tour guide was knowledgeable, but he appeared not to have been in the bourbon business his whole life.

The best thing about L&G was the tour. It was fantastic and very informative. The distillery was also very old, but had been closed down before being renovated staring in 1994 and then reopened in 1996. We started the tour with the fermenting vats and were able to stand right next to them, watching the mash bubble.

We continued to the three large copper stills, two of which were distilling. We were able to walk right up to them and also look inside the one that was idle. In this same room, we walked right by the distilled product being barreled. It was interesting to see a new barrel being filled and having today's date stamped on the side. Outside, on the barrel tracks there were already several barrels with today's date, ready to go the warehouse. We continued on to the warehouse and then onto the bottling room, which were high quality like the rest of the tour.

After the tour, we were able to buy a nice lunch at the vistor's center. We were not offered a bourbon tasting, but we were offered bourbon tea. The gift shop was more like a boutique with appropriately increased prices. The Woodford Reserve product on sale here (normal bottle and limited edition bottles) was significantly higher priced than Liquor Barn. In fact, the Ky Derby bottle I bought at Liquor Barn for a friend had a much lower number (5794) than those available at the gift shop (above 9000).

At L&G, I bought a t-shirt that was the same brand shirt as the one at BT. However, with the Woodford Reserve name on it, it was now $19. I probably would have passed at that price, but I never bothered to check before I bought it. I also bought a nice copper shot "glass" for $5.50.

I'd recommend hitting both of these places, especially since they are only 20 minutes apart.

At this point, it was 1:00 and I had a lot of time before the 2:30 tour at Wild Turkey. I decided to head over there anyway and wait there. I got there 45 min early and browsed their gift shop, but did not buy anything.

Unfortunately, WT has stopped distilling a couple weeks ago and would not start up again utnil November. Fortunately, the gift shop person told me this almost right away. They said they could only offer a video and a warehouse tour. I thanked them for telling me this and decided to leave without taking the tour. (They did ask if I had been anywhere else. I mentioned BT and L&G. They said they had sent several people over to L&G to see the distilling. I was impressed with the co-operation within the industry. In fact, earlier in the day, the BT guide asked me what else I had planned that day. When I mentioned L&G, he gave me a more direct route to use than the one I had planned.)

I left WT about 2 pm and decided to head back to Louisville via the Bluegrass Parkway. I toyed with trying to fit in Makers Mark in Loretto, but due to time considerations, I instead opted for stopping at Jim Beam in Clermont on the path back to Louisville. (Heaven Hill was also on the way back, but it was closed for the week.) I got to JB about 3 pm.

To make a long story short, I was not impressed with JB. They had a short video that only briefly described the Beam family lineage before becoming a full-fledged PR video. I knew they didn't have a tour, but you could peek into a warehouse from the outside - not much if you've been in a warehouse, but interesting if you haven't.

They did have samplings of Basil Hayden and Knob Creek. The tasting selection varies by the day or week. Too bad I didn't get there when they had Booker's or Baker's instead of Basil Hayden. They did serve the bourbons in separate glass snifters - a nice touch. As much bourbon as I have had in my life, though, I have not used a snifter. I was impressed with the increased boutique.

The gift shopped was overpriced and had only souvenirs with Jim Beam on it (no small batch mementos), though, they did sell the full product line (except Beam's Choice green label). By comparison, the t-shirts at JB were a different brand and they were a steep $22. I only bought a Jim Beam snifter ($4.50). It's in use at this moment (but with Elmer T. Lee SB). I left sometime after 4 pm and was easily back in southern Indiana by 4:45 pm.

I would not go out of your way to see Jim Beam, but if you are in the area, there's no reason not to stop if you have the time or if you've never been to another distillery.

[bluesbassdad]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us. (However, don't be surprised if Jim or Linn whisks this thread over to the forum entitled. "Distillery Trips".)

If I keep hanging around here, posts such as yours might eventually get me off my dead, retired ass and out on the road.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Great 'man on the sceen' report C.L.! I'm glad you enjoyed most of it. Since whenever we see the name 'Chuck' we all think Chuck Cowdery do you mind if we call you C.L.? Or do you have a nickname you'd like us to use? I'm going to move this thread down to the Distillery Trips topic board as that is where it properly belongs.

[cowdery]

One highlight at Beam used to be the cooper's shop. Is that no longer open? They also used to have an old pot still on display. The site itself is attractive too. Sorry you didn't enjoy it.

[boone]

Hey Mr. New Member Clogsdon,

Your post was excellent...THANKS for taking the time to write it for us.. It was very much apperciated!

Every so often I will give the tour at Heaven Hill.........I am not a TOUR GUIDE.... I am a mechanic....... but I give really nice tours especially for people in the "KNOW" about bourbon.....

Thank you again,

Bettye Jo

[bobbyc]

We live closest to Beam than the other distilleries in the area. I take people there occassionally. A couple months ago, The coopers shop is still there,also a couple moonshine stills and the smallest licensed still in the Beam home. I always skip the movie the one they had 10 years ago or more was better I'll ask if they still have it maybe they would show it on request. Baker and Booker were in it and it started with a load of corn and ended with a load of case goods leaving, they touched on everything in between. The movie they have now has Booker with his Grandson talking about the generations of Beam's in Bourbon. I consider it a fluff piece. They moved all the decanters to their cafeteria , If someone comes to this area and wants to see decanters go to exit 107 on I-65 and check out Heartland Decanters. Actually they have an impressive amount of Old Fitz and early Commonwealth stuff. Some of it is inexpensive.

[CL]

Newbie mistake - didn't realize there was a distillery forum. Now I know!

CL is fine with me.

[CL]

They still have the cooper museum, but it is roped off so you can't get close up. I didn't spend much time looking in there because it was 98 degrees at the end of a long day and I had already gotten some cooper expertise at BT.

Beam wasn't all that bad, it was just disappointing compared to the others I visited, particularly because they didn't have an expert or guide to talk to. They only had the receptionist in the gift shop.

[CL]

That sounds like an invite which I may hold you to when I am back in Louisville for the 2005 family reunion. ;-)

I do want to tour Heaven Hill, Makers Mark, and Bardstown. And to think that when I was a kid, my parents dragged me kicking and screaming to My Old Kentucky Home. Now, I'd love to spend a weekend in Bardstown.

[CL]

I would have liked to have seen that old movie. Sounded good.

I did like the little still in the Beam house. The hostess said it makes about 1 gallon.

Thanks for the tip on the decanters. I'd like to see that. WT had a few in their gift shop for sale. It was nice to browse them.

[CL]

A follow-up on me seeing the Van Winkle products being bottled at Buffalo Trace last week.

I bought the 3rd quarter issue of the Malt Advocate tonight. On p.26, in the American Spirit article, they have a short story on the Van Winkle products. According to Mark Brown of Sazerac, "Buffalo Trace will distill, age, bottle, and sell the Van Winkle family of whiskeys, and Julian Van Winkle will be in charge of marketing and promoting the brand. Buffalo Trace Distillery will continue all of its normal operations, including distilling, aging, bottling, and selling its current family of whiskeys".

I don't know if this has been mentioned on one of these discussions groups or not. (I am a new member and have not read all of the posts.) But, if not, here's my contribution. ;-)