Recap of My Bourbon Tour!
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:13 amSome of this is not in order. After the first day it was all pretty much a blur!
My wife and I left GA at 6:00 a.m. last Wednesday. My sister and BIL drove from Nashville and met us at Makers Mark at 2:00. Let the tour begin!
Makers Mark - I'm an Ambassador and got to purchase 3 bottles with my name on the label. I know its a gimmick but its a FUN gimmick! GREAT tour, nice folks, beautiful property. Generous samples. Got in free (Ambassador). We were pumped after MM! However, we were afraid it was going to be our best tour and all go downhill from there. We were wrong!
We stayed at The Galt House Wednesday and Thursday nights. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. Great bars, restaurants and views of the Ohio River.
Jockey Silks is a nice bar with a huge bourbon selection.
Jim Beam - HUGE mega-distillery with a very neat tour. We had 4 people in our group so everyone always got different samples. That way, we always had up to 8 different samples. This really paid off at Beam.
Heaven Hill - Didn't do the tour but just hit the visitors center. Now I with we'd done the tour. Oh well, I'll hit it next time!
Willett - Laid back tour. Guide was super cool. Tasting was the least "regimented" of all. Pretty much, "What y'all wanna try now?" I sure do wish we had Old Bardstown in GA!
Buffalo Trace - We pulled up and all agreed that if anyone wanted to skip the tour we would. We ended up taking the historical tour. We had a BALL! Freddie is the MAN! One of our favorite tours. Such a rich history. HIGHLY recommended!
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience - Didn't do the tour. I'd imagine this would be the place to hit if you were on a very tight schedule. Just did the gift shop and got "stamped".
Wild Turkey - HUGE let-down. Guide was robotic like most of the distillery. Could have been so much more. Maybe they'll improve.
Four Roses - We had a fun guide. Pretty grounds. Neat story. Love their product.
Wilderness Trail - Learned a lot about biofuels and yeasts used in that industry. Change of pace from the other tours. No bourbon to taste, only rum and vodka. Bought a bottle of their rum.
Woodford Reserve - (Saving the best for last!) WOW! The WR grounds and distillery are on another level. Very classy. Polished tour. We're going to look into the B&B there and try to go back! We were offered Distillers Select and Double Oaked in the tasting. I've always been a fan of DS but Double Oaked is phenomenal!
BUT!!! The Double DOUBLE Oaked is possibly the best bourbon I've ever tasted. I'm kicking myself for not cleaning off the shelf.
We stayed at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill the last night there. Nice place to stay and had very good grub!
I'd like to do the Craft Tour Next. I didn't get my Bulleit or my Town Branch stamp. I'll get them next time!
My wife and I left GA at 6:00 a.m. last Wednesday. My sister and BIL drove from Nashville and met us at Makers Mark at 2:00. Let the tour begin!
Makers Mark - I'm an Ambassador and got to purchase 3 bottles with my name on the label. I know its a gimmick but its a FUN gimmick! GREAT tour, nice folks, beautiful property. Generous samples. Got in free (Ambassador). We were pumped after MM! However, we were afraid it was going to be our best tour and all go downhill from there. We were wrong!
We stayed at The Galt House Wednesday and Thursday nights. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. Great bars, restaurants and views of the Ohio River.
Jockey Silks is a nice bar with a huge bourbon selection.
Jim Beam - HUGE mega-distillery with a very neat tour. We had 4 people in our group so everyone always got different samples. That way, we always had up to 8 different samples. This really paid off at Beam.
Heaven Hill - Didn't do the tour but just hit the visitors center. Now I with we'd done the tour. Oh well, I'll hit it next time!
Willett - Laid back tour. Guide was super cool. Tasting was the least "regimented" of all. Pretty much, "What y'all wanna try now?" I sure do wish we had Old Bardstown in GA!
Buffalo Trace - We pulled up and all agreed that if anyone wanted to skip the tour we would. We ended up taking the historical tour. We had a BALL! Freddie is the MAN! One of our favorite tours. Such a rich history. HIGHLY recommended!
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience - Didn't do the tour. I'd imagine this would be the place to hit if you were on a very tight schedule. Just did the gift shop and got "stamped".
Wild Turkey - HUGE let-down. Guide was robotic like most of the distillery. Could have been so much more. Maybe they'll improve.
Four Roses - We had a fun guide. Pretty grounds. Neat story. Love their product.
Wilderness Trail - Learned a lot about biofuels and yeasts used in that industry. Change of pace from the other tours. No bourbon to taste, only rum and vodka. Bought a bottle of their rum.
Woodford Reserve - (Saving the best for last!) WOW! The WR grounds and distillery are on another level. Very classy. Polished tour. We're going to look into the B&B there and try to go back! We were offered Distillers Select and Double Oaked in the tasting. I've always been a fan of DS but Double Oaked is phenomenal!
BUT!!! The Double DOUBLE Oaked is possibly the best bourbon I've ever tasted. I'm kicking myself for not cleaning off the shelf.
We stayed at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill the last night there. Nice place to stay and had very good grub!
I'd like to do the Craft Tour Next. I didn't get my Bulleit or my Town Branch stamp. I'll get them next time!