Let’s fill up your Glencairn Glass

For a nice weekend trip (although, you can spend a lot of time in this bluegrass state), take a drive to good old Kentucky. From Pittsburgh to Lexington it is no longer than a 6.5-hour drive, and just a little further to Louisville.

If you are not a bourbon drinker reading this, come back after you did a few tastings of bourbon and let me know how your mind changed.

We kicked off our first tasting at Buffalo Trace, and for whatever reason, like fate, it was a good idea. The tasting they offered really helped set how we tasted the rest of the trip.

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A little history lesson- every Bourbon is a Whiskey, but not all Whiskeys are a bourbon. After a few drinks, you start to wonder if that is a math equation, but it’s not, it’s actually the Law.

It simply means You can have great whiskey from anywhere, but for that whiskey to be a Bourbon (it can be from anywhere, it does not have to be from KY like some myths unless you want Kentucky straight bourbon), it has to have the right mash. The mash has to contain at least 51% corn (along with the rest of the mash of barley and rye or wheat), must be distilled at 160 proof or less, added to the barrel at 125 proof or less, have no additives, and must be aged in a brand new charred oak barrel. There are also additional rules and laws about straight bourbon. Oh, just Google that for more info.

Oh yea, and to make things more fun, the differences of a Scotch is, yep you guessed it, it has to from Scotland (plus a few ingredient changes and ‘laws’).

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Back to Buffalo Trace… The distillery area is beautiful, you have the large warehouses and well-known water tower, but the smell is something I’ll never forget- the Angel’s Share. In short, Angel’s share is a term used to descript the whiskey liquid evaporations “into the heavens”. I like to think that this is what heaven smells like, to me, a smooth charred brown sugar.

We started our tour in a room with a short video of the history, then were greeted with our guide and walked through the distillery area, including going in the different warehouse, seeing where Blanton’s is bottled, and to our tasting table, all the while listening to the personal stories from our guide. Our tasting included 5 different drinks and a small fun activity that you will just have to go and experience yourself (Has to do with White Dog and Hand sanitizer). We were also guided on the tasting of bourbon, and it is truly up to each individual on how you like your bourbon, from ice/no ice, amount of water/ straight. We ended up leaving with more than a few bottles for our own consumption. (Though no Pappy, good luck getting in a liquor lottery for that.)

We headed to the hotel, we stayed at the Campbell House. This has all of the charms you can think of. On your drive, make sure to take the scenic root, you won’t be upset seeing the roads lined with trees, picket fences, stables, horses, and huge tobacco plants.

The hotel was great, we ended up on the front patio, both nights, just talking with other guests. Everyone had out their bourbons they purchased from that day and would tell stories from their experiences, and share their favorites.

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The next day, we decided to do 3 more distilleries. There is driving required between each of the distilleries. We had mapped out ahead of time so they were not too far from each other. Make sure you pace yourself while tasting. This day was a Saturday, we did not have any set reservations, but did have to wait at a few places for the tasting, and had different options offered. Do a little research to see open times and get to the place you want before they get too busy. We also missed out on some BBQ as it was a football game day for UK and the BBQ was out of food and closed by 10am!

We started off at Woodford. It was a nice area, upscale and very popular. We walked in and the larger tasting with a tour was already sold out for the time that we would be there, so we opted for a smaller tasting (2 types and a bourbon candy) outside on the patio with a group of people.

We shared our bourbon barrel tabletop with 2 others during our tasting. It was short, sweet, and just enough, but we didn’t get to walk around the grounds.

From there, we drove to Wild Turkey. You cross over the Kentucky River with amazing views. The distillery has a great overlook and area to just take in the scenery while sipping the good stuff. We had a great tasting experience, tour inside and out, also including one of the rickhouses, and an amazing history lesson. We had 5 tastings and got to take home the shooter glass. The distillery added a tasting area with glass windows that overlooks the River, known as the “Angel’s View”, and an entire gallery/ hall to view old bottles and fun facts. You will need to go on the tour to find out where the name came from. (if you don’t like bourbon: a. it seems strange you would be reading this, but b. Wild Turkey is also the bottler of SKYY vodka, see you get so many fun facts from the tour.)

Our last bourbon trail stop was at Four Roses. During the year we went, part of the distillery was closed for a tour, but that was ok for us. By this time, we were feeling great and just wanted to taste.

The grounds did look great with flowers everywhere, yes, they were roses. We had a tasting with about 30 people outside under a pavilion while sitting at tables. We had about 4 tastings and they were not shy about the pours and even offered more if you enjoyed it. As a memento, we were able to take our whiskey glass with us.

After all of this tasting, we need something to eat, so we stopped at the Red State BBQ (small place off the side of the road). Then we went out to the northside of the city, but it was empty until the game was over. (We were the only people at Bell’s cocktail bar, seriously!) But a little later in the night, the entire area was packed, bicycle bars, bachelorette/bachelor parties, and all. We stopped at The Village Idiot as well for some great cocktails as a nightcap.

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There are so many distilleries to try in KY (I think, 68 total right now). We will be going back. I do recommend some homework to take your trip from great to fantastic.