A guide to Kentucky's bourbon distilleries
By Linda Johnson | ljohnson1@herald-leader.com
Like the Derby and the Red River Gorge, bourbon is uniquely Kentucky. [Go to a map and description of distilleries | Go to great places to drink bourbon]
Situated amid horse farms and scenic drives through rolling hills, bourbon distillers have been perfecting their spirits for more than 200 years (except during the dark days of Prohibition) starting in the late 1700s with the excess corn farmers grew. But it’s been only in the past 20 years that single-barrel, small-batch bourbons have come into their own.
Bourbon’s mix of grains — corn, malted barley, rye and wheat — must consist of at least 51 percent corn. If it doesn’t, it’s not “straight” bourbon.
Nearly 4.5 million barrels are aging at any given time in Kentucky, according to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail’s Web site. What a lovely thought.
High-end bourbon is the nectar of the gods, as far as I’m concerned.
I still occasionally get funny looks when I order bourbon in a bar or restaurant. I’m all of 5-foot-3 and weigh ... well, none of your business ... and some people aren’t used to seeing a fairly small woman order strong liquor on the rocks.
That’s how I prefer it: chilled with a rock or two, not diluted from a full glass of ice. Bourbon is for sipping, slowly, so the amount of ice matters.
Purists won’t add ice and drink it “neat.”
Here’s what else I’ve learned:
Maker’s Mark, made in Loretto, works well in food (and for smuggling into Commonwealth Stadium to mix with Coke). For Thanksgiving I make a fabulous sweet potato recipe with a bit of Maker’s.
High-end bourbons should never be mixed with anything, even though the distillers’ own Web sites offer cocktail recipes. That’s just wrong. Note: Mint juleps should be consumed only on Derby Day.
The higher the quality of the bourbon — and therefore, the greater the cost — the better I like it. No one who knows me is surprised by this.
My favorite bourbon to date is 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve. Yes, aging really does make a difference in the taste and smoothness.
If I’m traveling outside Kentucky and can’t get good bourbon, forget it; a nice red wine will do.
To be straight bourbon (with a proof from 80 to 125), it must be aged at least two years; anything aged less than four years must have its age on the bottle. Bourbon also must be aged in new oak barrels. The charring of the inside of the barrels is what turns the liquid the silky amber color that is its trademark.
Kentucky's bourbon distilleries
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Eight distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail offer tours. I’ve been to only one, Woodford Reserve, which sits in the middle of rolling hills and horse farms outside Versailles. The grounds are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. and from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays from April through October. (7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles; (859) 879-1812.)
As for the other seven distilleries on the tour, check out their Web sites for directions and recommendations on reservations. They are:
- Buffalo Trace, 1001 Wilkinson Boulevard, Frankfort; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.; 1-800-654-8471 or (502) 696-5926.
- Four Roses Distillery, 1224 Bonds Mill Road, Lawrenceburg; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; (502) 839-3436.
- Heaven Hill Bourbon Distilleries, 1311 Gilkey Run Road, Bardstown; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sat. year-round, noon-3 p.m. Sun. March-December; (502) 337-1000.
- Jim Beam, 149 Happy Hollow Road, Clermont; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun.; (502) 543-9877.
- Maker's Mark, 3350 Burks Springs Road, Loretto; 10:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Sun. March-December; (270) 865-2099.
- Wild Turkey, 1525 Tyrone Road, Lawrenceburg; 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; (502) 839-4544.
- 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, 300 Barton Road, Bardstown; 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., reservations required; (502) 348-3774.
There are many more top-quality bourbons out there today that, like Woodford Reserve, are some of my favorites. Among them are Blanton’s (93 proof), Old Pogue (91 proof) and Basil Hayden’s, a smooth, slightly more mellow bourbon at only 80 proof that was first distilled in 1796.
