The Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Bourbon is booming!  If you are looking for a fun road trip, add the Kentucky Bourbon Trail to your bucket list.  Whether you are a Bourbon lover or not, you will enjoy the scenic countryside, great restaurants and charming towns along the route.

If you are a Bourbon enthusiast, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail will be the perfect getaway.  My husband and 7 of his Bourbon loving friends took the trip last spring and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

First of all, Kentucky is a gorgeous state.  I love the rolling hills and stunning horse farms with the brown fences.  It is so scenic!

Kentucky is most famous for its Kentucky Derby.  It is held annually on the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs.

With the boom of Bourbon, Kentucky is becoming the Napa of the South.   Instead of touring wineries, you will be touring the Bourbon distilleries which are full of history.

There are 20 working distilleries in Kentucky.  In 1999 the Kentucky Distillers’ Association created the Kentucky Bourbon Trail which now includes 9 main distilleries on the official trail.  They are:

Four Roses

Jim Bean

Woodford Reserve

Heaven Hill

Maker’s Mark

Town Branch

Wild Turkey

Bulleit

Evan Williams

These distilleries are located in and around Lexington with a few reaching almost to Louisville.

You can find the official website for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail here.  You will also find information on tour companies that offer tours with drivers which is a great way to travel if you do not have a designated driver in the group.

When you take the tour you actually get to see the Bourbon being made in the distillery.  The exception is during the summer when some of the distilleries shut down for maintenance, so be sure to call ahead when planning your trip.  You get to sample the Bourbon at each distillery and get a history behind their brand.

Personalized Bourbon Bottles

At Woodford Reserve, they will engrave a bottle for your personal collection.  At the Maker’s Mark Distillery, they allow you to dip your own bottle in the red wax.  And at Knob Creek, they let you bottle your own Bourbon.

“Off the Trail”

My husband’s group went to some distilleries that were not “officially” on the trail such as Ridgemont Reserve who makes 1792 and Buffalo Trace Distillery which makes brands including Blantons and Pappy Van Winkle.  In order for a distillery to be on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail, they must be a member of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

The Coveted Pappy Van Winkle

Pappy Van Winkle is the much coveted Bourbon today but its limited production makes it very difficult to get.

Our friend Chuck, though,  was lucky enough to purchase a bottle of Pappy.  Both my husband and Chuck were excited to give it a try.  They decided to do a blind tasting between four different Bourbons.  I had the honor of doing the pours.

Both John and Chuck did not pick Pappy as their favorite.  When I gave them the news, they thought I mis-marked the glasses.  With all the hype, they thought for sure that Pappy would be their favorite.  They certainly liked the Pappy; it just wasn’t their first choice.

Here’s an in-depth article on Pappy in Town and Country Magazine.

What is Bourbon?

With all of this talk about Bourbon, it’s only right to share what’s behind the name.  In order to be called Bourbon, it must be produced in the United States (Yay!), made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak barrels and distilled to no more than 80% alcohol by volume.

Bourbon has no minimum aging; however, the better Bourbons are aged for at least four years.

Host a Bourbon Tasting at Home

If you are interested in hosting a Bourbon Tasting Party at your home, Natalie Migliarini shares how to host one at Beautiful Booze.

Visit my post from last week on hosting a Kentucky Derby party.  There are great recipes to choose from to go along with your Bourbon tasting at home.  I especially love these Derby Pecans which will go great with your Bourbon.

Let me know if you have been on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail or if you or someone you know would enjoy such a road trip!  Thanks for stopping by.  Cheers!