See a new side of Kentucky bourbon history with this unique river, distillery tour

As the Trace of Kentucky pulled away from the dock in Frankfort, and headed up the Kentucky River, a majestic blue heron wheeled and soared beside it — a sort of spirit guide into the conjoined worlds of river and bourbon.

We were on the Tour and Taste boat excursion, the only one of its kind in the country. Just think of it as a floating addition to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

This one-and-a-half hour tour, one of several offered by Kentucky River Tours, finishes up at Buffalo Trace Distillery with a tasting of six of the distillery’s signature products: Buffalo Trace bourbon, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Wheatley Vodka, Bourbon Cream and Freddie’s Root Beer (an homage to long time employee Freddie Johnson).

But before you arrive at Kentucky’s oldest continuously operating distillery and the first to market single barrel bourbon commercially, there’s a lot of bourbon history and river lore to be learned.

Your teachers are Nathan and Allison Deppenbrock, owners of Kentucky River Tours and U.S. Coast Guard-certified master captains.

“Nathan usually does the narrating and I do the piloting,” says Allison. “But just to keep things interesting, on occasion we swap places.”

Nathan was at the mic on this cruise and he had a lot to tell the 10 passengers on board.

“The history of bourbon as we know it really began right here,” he says.

The clear liquid produced by area distilleries, often referred to as White Dog, White Lightning or moonshine, started its journey to New Orleans in barrels stamped Bourbon Co.

But despite what some historians believe, Bourbon County is unlikely to be the origin of the spirit’s name.

The barrels traveled from the Kentucky River to the Ohio River and finally to the Mississippi River before reaching their destination.

After nine-and-a-half months, the liquid, no longer clear, having taken on a caramel color from the barrels, proved extremely popular with those who bought it in the bars on Bourbon Street.

And according to Michael Veach, bourbon historian and curator of special Collections at Louisville’s Filson Historical Society, that was most likely how bourbon got its name.

Okay, so it may have gotten its name in Louisiana, there is no disputing that it had its birth in Kentucky. It is undeniable that the bourbon industry and the Kentucky River became inextricably entwined and remain so to this day.

On the tour, you’ll see ample evidence of this historic connection such as the imposing ruins of the former Hermitage Distillery built in 1868 by W.A. Gaines and Hiram Berry and named for the Nashville plantation of President Andrew Jackson.

Although this tour is confined to the pools of the river (no locks or dams on this one), there is much to learn about history (bourbon and otherwise) and river lore along this stretch.

By now, the blue heron had deserted us, but Captain Nathan urged us to be on the lookout for green herons, osprey and turtles and, for the eagle-eyed, freshwater eels which have been found near the Frankfort Boat Club. (If you take the tour in April, you may also spot nesting bald eagles.)

The tour features a site passengers can see – the impressive limestone cliffs that line the river and date back some 450 million years – and one they can’t – FishTrap Island. Once used by Native Americans, it is now completely submerged beneath the river waters.

After a proper introduction to the historic connection between the Kentucky River and the bourbon industry, you’re ready for your tasting at Buffalo Trace and an introduction to that distillery’s legendary figures, from Colonel E. H. Taylor and Albert Blanton to Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr.

It’s the latter that Nathan quotes as he ends the tour.

“Pappy was known for saying, ‘we make bourbon for a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon.’ Now, ladies and gentlemen, go and enjoy some.”

Bourbon Boat Tour

Given by: Kentucky River Tours

When: Tours are offered April 15 to Oct. 15, and are dependent on weather and river conditions.

Tickets: $49.95 plus tax (includes tasting at Buffalo Trace)

Where: 701 Wilkinson Blvd. in Frankfort

Call: 502-219-3318

Online: kyrivertours.com