Kentucky Group Travel Guide

on location: south ❖

justine mulattieri

Travelers on distillery tours in Kentucky can see how bourbon whiskey is made and may get to sample the product.

k e n t u c k y’s Bourbon Trail Savor the mellow spirit of the Bluegrass State on a distillery-hopping tour between Lexington and Louisville

ith rolling green hills dotted with the glossy coats of thoroughbreds, winding country roads and carpets of bluegrass swaying in the breeze, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is more than an education in the art of distilling spirits; it is a complex blend of heritage, culture and achievement.

Declared by the U.S. Congress in 1964 as “a product distinctive to the United States,” bourbon whiskey is a liquor steeped in time-honored tradition and crafted with pride. Kentucky is both the birthplace and the largest producer of bourbon, providing 95% of the world’s supply.

The six distilleries officially featured on the Bourbon Trail, plus others, are within an hour’s drive of one another.

Most offer group tours led by a resident bourbon expert, and if you’re lucky, you may get to meet the master distiller.

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A short drive west of Lexington, Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles boasts an impressive pedigree and is one of two stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail that does not produce multiple varieties. Woodford Reserve Bourbon is hand-crafted in small batches and each bottle is individually numbered and labeled.

The distillery was founded in 1865 in Woodford County horse country. It is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby and releases a Derby commemorative bottle each year. The bourbon has a distinctively sweet flavor of creamy vanilla, smooth caramel, soft buttery notes and a balanced fruitiness.

Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort produces 24 varieties of bourbon and whiskey including Blanton’s, a fivetime winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition gold medal.

Buffalo Trace was the first distillery to use steam power for distilling, to ship whiskey down the Mississippi River and to market single-barrel bourbon.

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the flagship blend, is light in color and bears a complex aroma of vanilla, mint and molasses.

Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital city, has plenty of options for visitors looking to get a taste of regional heritage. Berry Mansion, the Colonial Revival home of the family that owned the Old Crow bourbon company from the late 1800s through the mid-20th century, is a vision in Southern grandeur.

In Kentucky, bourbon is incorporated into numerous cooking recipes.

Guided tours are available at RebeccaRuth Candy & Tours, a Frankfort factory that produces more than 120 different types of candy, including its

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signature “bourbon ball” chocolate.

Those who like their whiskey with a kick will certainly find it in Lawrenceburg at Wild Turkey Distillery. Producing 12 varieties, including Rare Breed, a “knock-your-socks-off ” 108 proof, and three traditional rye whiskeys, Wild Turkey was founded in 1855 and has a trademark distillation process. The blend is “simmered” like a stew and very little distilled water is added, which contributes to the full flavor and high alcohol content. In addition to being incorporated into many a song lyric and Hollywood bar scene, Wild Turkey was proclaimed by the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London as “Best Worldwide Whiskey” of 2008.

Also in Lawrenceburg is Four Roses Distillery. Legend has it that in 1888 founder Paul Jones Jr. named his bourbon after the Southern belle he courted, instructing her to pin flowers to the front of her dress at an upcoming festival if she returned his affections. She arrived with four roses pinned to her gown and the rest, as they say, is history.

Four Roses produces 10 separate varieties, including the limited edition “Mariage” Collection (that’s how they spell it). For this unique collection, barrels are selected by the master distiller, and in a limited-edition small batch, he marries two separate flavors of Four Roses in a barrel proof release.

A romantic spirit, both in history and in flavor, Four Roses bourbon traditionally has a soft, mellow flavor with notes of apple and pear. Tours of the Spanish Mission style-structure and its rose gardens are offered Monday through Saturday.

In Loretto we discover one of Kentucky’s more famous distilleries— Maker’s Mark. Although the actual structure of the distillery was built in 1889, the first Maker’s bottle sold in

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1959. It was the first distillery to have a visitors center and to be made a historic landmark. This use of branding and the mentality that bourbon crafting could be presented as a tourist attraction contributed to the creation of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Coming from a long family history of whiskey crafting, Maker’s Mark was born when its founder, a sixth-generation distiller, burned his family’s centuries-

A guide at Four Roses Distillery explains the distilling process.

old recipe and opted to create his own using red wheat instead of the typical rye. Visitors wishing to take home a souvenir can hand-dip their very own bottle of Maker’s Mark in the signature red wax covering.

Boasting the nation’s largest volume of Kentucky bourbon, Heaven Hill Distilleries houses upwards of 40 million gallons of aging bourbon at its expansive facility in Bardstown. Founded in 1934, the company produces nine varieties of bourbon, including its signature medium-amber Evan Williams.

The Bourbon Heritage Center and tasting room is a barrel-shaped structure where visitors are invited to sample the various products.

Stop by the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in Bardstown.

The museum features advertising posters, rare documents and other assorted memorabilia from the American whiskey industry.

We end the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in Clermont, just south of Louisville, with bourbon’s “royal family,” Jim Beam.

Apart from its namesake nectar, the world’s best-selling bourbon, Jim Beam also produces four small-batch varieties that have added to the Beam legacy.

Distilling since 1794, the Beam family is one of the oldest in bourbon history.

While tours of the plant itself are not currently available, visitors can visit Jim Beam and see the grounds, a working rack house and the Beam family mansion. Free samples of Jim Beam products are offered to visitors 21 and older.

Complementing the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail is a seven-bar trek that showcases establishments where bourbon is the drink of choice and a resident connoisseur is always on hand to assist in a tasting. Each is well-stocked with at least 50 bourbons, and as many as 150.

Guests can try modern bourbon cocktails or classics like the Old Fashioned and Mint Julep.

Whether you take the scenic route through the rolling hillsides or a more studied approach downtown, you’ll leave Kentucky knowing why America’s native spirit still reigns supreme. LGT

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• Kentucky Bourbon Trail: 502-875-9351, kybourbontrail.com • Kentucky Tourism: 800-225-8747, kytourism.com • Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail: justaddbourbon.com

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