Bourbon, Bourbon and MORE Bourbon!

The Journey West 2022 – Kentucky Leg 1, Part 2

04/23/2022 – 05/01/2022

Kentucky is known as the Bourbon capital of the world. Is all bourbon made in Kentucky? No, but the best bourbons are made in Kentucky. Bourbon is a type of whiskey but has strict guidelines in place to ensure its quality.

• It must be made in the USA.
• The mash bill must contain at least 51% corn.
• It must be aged in a new oak-charred barrel.

But what makes Kentucky bourbon the best, is the limestone filtered water used in the distilling process.

When we started planning our trip, we quickly found that we didn’t start planning soon enough. As we were trying to book tours at the different distilleries, one by one we found the tours were all filled up. We did manage to get on two tours; one at Makers Mark and one at Barton. We were also able to book several tastings. No doubt about it though, the week was filled with bourbon.

Let’s Talk Tours

  Makers Mark

Bill and I visited Makers Mark early in the week before the rest of the crew arrived. I scored a tour on a Monday afternoon. The distillery was built in 1889 by George Burks and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. William Samuels purchased the distillery in 1953 and began producing Makers Mark bourbon in 1954.

The tour began in the original distillery building, where the bourbon is still distilled today. After a brief history of Bill Samuels and how he began to make bourbon, we headed upstairs to see the mash. There were 8 large vats of mash in various stages of fermentation. These vats have been used since 1889 and contain most of the original wood. Some of the planks have been replaced but for the most part they are original. The room is warm, with steam coming off the fermenting mash and it smells like bread or even corn flakes. LOL

Next, we go into the label room, where they continue to print the bottle labels by hand. They have 4 machines that an employee loads the individual blank labels and then handstamp it.

Then it is on to “The Cellar” where the Private Selection Makers is made. After the bourbon has aged for 6 years, they will take the cask strength barrel to the cellar and open it. Then a combination of 10 wood-finishing staves are added to the bourbon. The barrel is resealed, rolled it into the 45° cave and aged for another 9 weeks.

Finally, we head to the tasting room where 5 of their bourbons were sampled, including the Private Selection. Now, I am nowhere near being a bourbon connoisseur. I would classify myself as a dabbler? When you listen to people in the tasting rooms (or sitting next to you on the couch) say they can pick up the vanillas, caramels, oaks, cherries, etc. I’m thinking, uh-huh. I’m getting none of it. My taste test consists of, did it burn the dickens out of my mouth and throat or was it smooth? Well, it’s only day one. I will really try to take the tasting more seriously and see if I can find those warm vanilla flavors everyone talks about.

  Barton – 1792

The next distillery that we were able to tour was Barton 1792. This distillery was located right in Bardstown. Sadly, they will be discontinuing their tours in June of this year. Barton distillery was established in 1879 and is the oldest fully operating distillery in Bardstown. If Barton was established in 1879, why do they call it Barton 1792? That was the year Kentucky was admitted to the Union, don’t ya know.

We started at the station where the corn is delivered. Each day Barton receives 8,000 bushels of corn. Before the corn is unloaded, it is inspected for quality. Once the quality is verified, the driver can unload.

We are then taken to the still room. The Barton still is 5 stories high and original to the property. We climbed three flights of open, metal stairs to sample some white dog right from the tap. It was actually pretty good; sweet, smooth with a hint of fresh baked bread (see, I’m trying to pick up those flavor profiles 😉). You know what else white dog is good for? Softening your hands and killing germs. After sampling, we had to go back down those 3 flights of open, metal stairs. I’m not sure it’s a good idea giving us booze and then making us navigate open stairs. Let’s just say, I held the handrail a little tighter going down than I did on the way up.

As we were walking out to the rickhouse, we passed the building where the old mash is taken. Once the mash is distilled, it leaves behind the actual grains. Most distilleries give the wet mash to local farms to feed the hogs. Hogs eat anything, right? Barton came up with a way to dry the mash and create a feed for other livestock as well and make a little money doing so. Their grain can be purchased at local feed stores. Pretty cool, huh? I thought so.

Okay, the rickhouse… The rickhouse is a large warehouse where the barrels of bourbon are aged. They are usually 5 to 7 stories high and have windows at the end of every row. The windows open to allow ventilation which aids in the aging process. The first thing you notice when you enter the rickhouse is the sweet smell of bourbon. This is what is known as the angel’s share. Each distillery ages their bourbon differently. Some will rotate the barrels in the rickhouse, so they age evenly. Some will leave them in their spot for the full 4-7 years. The barrels in the upper and outside portions of the rickhouse will get warmer than the ones on the bottom and inside. When the barrels get warm, the barrels expand and push the bourbon into the wood. When they cool down, the barrels contract and pull the bourbon out of the wood. All this will affect the taste of the bourbon. Once the bourbon has aged, the little bit of liquid left within the staves of the barrel from all the contracting and expanding is known as the devil’s cut. I prefer the angel’s share, myself.

Barton fills between 750-900 barrels a day and they keep 750,000 barrels on their property at a time. That’s a lot of bourbon! At the end of the tour, we get to taste some more bourbon, yay! I really tried to pick up some flavor notes, but it just didn’t happen. I did find one bourbon I like though, Chocolate Bourbon Cream! It’s like dessert in a bottle!

Tastings

We spent the remainder of our time tasting, tasting, tasting. The guys got bourbon flights at Mammy’s Kitchen one night which allowed them to taste a total of 12 different bourbons. We also did tastings at Four Roses, Limestone Distillery and Heaven Hill. Each offered a unique experience. Then, of course, the tastings continued around the campfire at the end of the day.

  The Bourbon Trail

Bourbon country is beautiful and all the distilleries have something to offer. If you cannot get in for a tour or a tasting, stop by anyway and walk around the grounds or stroll thru the gift shops and get a stamp for your passport book. The Bourbon Trail website offers a wealth of information for all your trip planning needs.

As you walk around the properties, notice the darker bark on the trees and dark coloring creeping up the rick houses, on signs and stones around the distillery. It is a harmless fungus created by the ethanol fumes escaping from the barrels as it evaporates during the aging process. It gives the trees and buildings a charred look. I love the contrast of the bright green leaves against the dark bark of the tree.

When we were here a few years ago the passport book was small and only contained about 15 distilleries. Now the book is about 3 times that size (and it’s not free anymore) Here are some of our tips and tricks if you want to hop on the trail:

• Arrange and book your tours at least 3 months in advance.
• Plan to visit 2 distilleries a day (more than that can feel rushed)
• Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy between distilleries
• Do not waste your $$ buying cocktails at the distilleries, they are small and spendy. Instead visit a local restaurant or tavern and enjoy a cocktail there.
• Many of the restaurants have extensive bourbon lists for further tasting exploration.

After a week on the trail and having many “Kentucky Chews” and receiving too many “Kentucky Hugs”, I would like to report that I went from being a novice bourbon taster to an expert. But it didn’t happen. I did not find those warm vanilla notes or caramel flavors on the back of my tongue. It just gives me the bourbon shivers (similar to bitter beer face) or it doesn’t. But I do know what I like and I know what I don’t like. 😉

Cheers!