Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Part II
The second leg of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail we did without the children (much to their dismay cause they like having the 'rents pay the bills:). This time we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Louisville which ended up being a little more in the middle of things. Day 1
We only had one distillery tour on the first day because we stopped off at Mammoth Cave on the way into town. The tour reinforced why this area is a great place to make bourbon and raise champion horses - limestone!
Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center
Heaven Hill didn't have a tour. They had a talk and a tasting.
Even though I liked the Rye they served, this was probably the worst experience we had on the trail. Even worse than Jim Beam. The main reason for that is that the guide had no idea what she was talking about. We had already heard the story of bourbon five times already so we knew misinformation when we heard it. We didn't point it out, but it was frustrating to listen to.
Day 2
Wild Turkey was the biggest surprise of the trip. We had never had the desire to purchase or order anything from the Wild Turkey family besides American Honey. We didn't know what we were missing!
The tour was fun and informative.
Not only was this tour one of our favorites, but we found our favorite sipping bourbon here, Kentucky Spirit.
Four Roses was a quick one. We still had another distillery to get to so we didn't take a tour and just did a tasting. If you have time, take the tour because the grounds are beautiful. The tasting was exactly was we expected (good), and we left with the best complimentary glasses of the trail.
Town Branch is a fairly new distillery. They also brew beer, but we didn't take that tour.
I had never seen any of their products in the stores and I still haven't but it was a fun tour and was the final stamp we needed to complete our passport.
Day 3
Buffalo Trace is not on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We stopped at this one on our way back home.
Being part of the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail costs money. Since Buffalo Trace makes some of the best-known bourbons, they don't have trouble getting a crowd. As a matter of fact, this was the biggest tour group we had on the whole trail and it was in the middle of the week!
Even though it was a big group, they still did a great job of making it enjoyable. We even got to see how they get the wax around the bottle of Blanton's.
We didn't get to taste it, however.
The tasting was a bit of a free-for-all but it was a good experience, none the less.
One of the best parts of Buffalo Trace is the grounds. We wandered for half an hour.
Our tour was complete!!!!!
Stay tuned for my final thoughts and where to eat and drink in Louisville. It's now one of my favorite cities to visit!
Kentucky Bourbon Trail - Part I
