Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Late April, 2017.  Louisville, Kentucky has never looked so good.  The bluegrass was green, the fences were painted, the horses were groomed and the bourbon was in the barrels. Mint Julep Tours provided the transportation and the guide.  Our guide, Chuck, was fantastic!  He was so knowledgable about bourbon and the horses, and his passion for both was palpable!  I could have imagined a better guide or a better experience!

Our first stop was Woodford Reserve, tasting both the Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select and the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, both were amazing!  The tour of the distillery was amazing.  The process, although very complex, was quite simple.  The storehouses smelled of the Angel's Share and the buildings are tucked into a hillside that only Kentucky can provide.  

After a great tasting at Woodford Reserve we drove through the amazingly hilly Kentucky countryside.  We drove past the Old Taylor Distillery, which is now Castle and Key, a new whiskey maker, who will make bourbon, rye and gin.  This lead us to Wild Turkey, which had one of the best views!  The wooden building and the natural light made for some stunning pictures!  Wild Turkey was a quick stop for a nice little tasting.  Before long, it was onto the next one.    

The last stop, Buffalo Trace!  The bourbon smell in this little valley was amazing!  We had a great tour through the campus, seeing some of the barrel storage warehouses, bourbon aging warehouses, even saw an 18 year old barrel of Old Taylor Bourbon!  As you can see from several of the pictures, most of the buildings look filthy.  This is called whiskey fungus.  During the aging process of the whiskey, a large portion of the barreled whiskey evaporates.  The evaporated whiskey mixes with moisture in the air, sticks to anything around and develops whiskey fungus.  The evaporated whiskey is called the Angel's Share, and man does it smell good!