Kentucky Bourbon Distilleries - Summer 2022
Why else do you think I went to Kentucky?
As I drove up to the Buffalo Trace Distillery, the guy manning the entrance looked at my license plate and asked me “Did you drive here from California?” When I replied “yes” he said “You drove a long way for whiskey!”
Yes I did.
We were not in Kentucky for that long so we only hit up the few distilleries below.
(Also - in case you are wondering - no - you can’t find the hard to find bourbons for sale at the distilleries - just the regular stuff)
Buffalo Trace Distillery - Frankfort
I would say if you can only go to one distillery, go to this one. It has gone through several names and is now Buffalo Trace but it is still the same buildings.
It is the oldest, has the most history, and has several different tours. The grounds are also beautiful.
We only hit up a few distilleries but I think Buffalo Trace had the best operation in terms of tours. Very welcoming atmosphere and a great tour. It is also one of the few places where the tour is free (which is why you often get waitlisted). They are very much for the people as even the gift shop items are reasonably priced.
On our tour they actually let you purchase one bottle of Blanton’s at retail price (not sure they always do that on every tour). Buffalo Trace does a great job marketing their rarer bottles and the allocated ones are extremely hard to get and very expensive if you can get one. They of course just sell it at retail and it’s the secondary market that marks the price up to ridiculous levels.
(I’m lucky enough to have a 2019 Stagg and a Weller 12 in my collection at home that I was able to snag at retail. Don’t ask me how and no you can’t have any.)
We went on the standard tour but I would like to go back to see the hard hat tour or the historical Taylor tour. One interesting part of the tour is where they had see-through barrels to show you how much is left after certain years of aging as the alcohol evaporates. Not a lot left after 20+ years which explains the price for some of those bottles. The tour guide said that he’s seen 20 year old barrels pour out empty.
The history is pretty amazing here. It boggles the mind that in the 80’s, bourbon was not popular and this distillery was down to 40 or so employees. Now the bourbon business is booming with a huge operation and they can’t make enough or put up buildings fast enough.
This place is a bit of a drive from Louisville but very much worth the trip. You get to enjoy the Kentucky countryside along the way.
Jim Beam - Claremont
Someone told me going here is bit like going to whiskey Disneyland and he was right - I had to come at least once since I am a Knob Creek fan
Just a little south of Louisville, Jim Beam is of course huge and it was easier to get a tour booked since there is a fee for it and you can book it online.
The above was the more Disneyland part of the tour. A bus takes you to a place where they highlight the limestone water and the car where Jim Beam would always carry a backup batch of the precious yeast.
Aside - I do like the flavor that their yeast imparts on the whiskey - it give it a nutty taste.
You can see from the above that the working parts of the operation like the warehouse are all painted black because of the mold I told you about in the previous Kentucky post.
Going through the working parts of the distillery was a bit more interesting. I liked the part where I got to do a pouring out of a barrel. The barrel was pretty heavy (or maybe I should work out more).
They have this thing on the tour where you can bottle your own 9 Yr Single Barrel Knob Creek (which I think is one of their best products)
You can put your thumbprint on the sealing wax as well as get the bottle engraved
(I passed on this)
Bardstown Bourbon Company - Bardstown
We actually came here because a bartender in Louisville told us that the food here was great so we popped in after the Jim Beam tour since Bardstown wasn’t that far away. We didn’t do the tour (there is a fee) but perhaps next time.
We did do a taster set and the product is very good. The food was also good (the bartender was right).
Being new, the grounds and facilities are top notch and beautiful. They have a lot of capacity and they allow some of the smaller operations to outsource through them. Will maybe hit the tour the next time I am here.
Heaven Hill - Bardstown
Makers of Elijah Craig (and many other fine brands)
This was an easy stop for us since we were already in Bardstown. Heaven Hill makes a few very good products. It was good to see that the operation was thriving as they had a devastating fire in 1996 that destroyed many warehouses. They have a self tour where you can just walk through exhibits.
If you want they do have paid exhibitions where you can do higher end tastings or do bottlings and such. This was just a quick stop for us so I was very appreciative of the free self-guided tour.
I think their Barrel Proof Elijah Craig is their best product and you can sometimes find it if you are lucky.
According to the lady pouring at Heaven Hill, this is what Paul Newman drank in “The Hustler” - I had never heard of this bourbon before coming here
The Old Talbott Tavern - Bardstown - Oldest Bourbon Bar (at least in Bardstown) 1913
OK - so not a distillery but since I’m not doing a separate post for Bardstown and in line with my visiting the oldest bar in cities thing, here is the self proclaimed “Oldest Bourbon Bar in the World.” Sure - who am I to argue.
Situated inside the Talbott Inn, the building dates back to 1913. The current functioning bar doesn’t look that old, but when you go to the other side to the dining room, it looks like a frontier house with the original wood and not a square corner to be found. The building is definitely quite old and has that character.