BLUEGRASS AND BOURBON

When I got up this morning I had a plan to stay in Louisville and tour Cave Hill Cemetery and the Louisville Slugger Factory. But the storms that pass through Kentucky a few day back had done some damage to the Cemetery and when I arrived there this morning the gates were closed and padlocked.  When I checked the Louisville Slugger website it show closed today even though when I checked yesterday it showed open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

So it was back to the drawing board and a new plan quickly took shape and 45-minutes later I was in , Kentucky at the Birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln.  It was here at Sinking Springs Farm that our 16th President was born on February 12, 1809.  The tiny one room cabin that sits inside the Birthplace Memorial Building is not the original cabin but one that day backs to the mid-1800's. While the cabin was originally thought to be the authentic birthplace cabin and the memorial building was build to protect it between 1909 and 1911, it was later learned that the existing cabin was build on the original birthplace site several years after the Lincoln family had left the area for Illinois.

By visiting the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site I was able to get another stamp for my National Park Service Passport Book.  Earlier in this trip I got The Cumberland Gap National Stamp and hopefully before returning home I will be able to visit Mammoth Cave which will give me all of the National Park sites in Kentucky.

My Bottle waiting for me to dip it in
 the signature red wax

From The Lincoln Birthplace it was about a 30-minute drive through the country to the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. Of all of the tours that I have taken on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Maker's Mark Tour was the best by far.  Our guide, Woody, was excellent and was able to hold our attention throughout the hour long tour.  The tour takes you into the Mash House where the grains are "mashed in" to make the "beer" that is distilled into the "white dog,"  which is the clear liquid that is punt into the 53 gallon charred white oak barrels.  The liquid is then age for several years in the barrels that are stored in "rick houses" all over the property.  The aging in the charred barrels is what gives the bourbon it rich amber color.

At the end of the tour, visitors are given the opportunity to buy a naked bottle of their favorite bourbon and hand dip it into the red wax that is unique to Marker's Mark.  Yes, I purchased my own bottle and hand dipped, giving my bottle my on unique look.



After an enjoyable tour of the Maker's Mark Distillery, I made the short drive up to Bardstown and toured "My Old Kentucky Home." The mansion that became the subject of the Stephen Foster Song, is a 200-year old house that sat at the center of the Rowan Family Plantation. Over the years, 3-generations of the Rowan Family lived here. Our tour guide, Madison, began the tour in the entrance hall and after a brief introduction, she delivered a very nice rendition of "My Old Kentucky Home."  I have never had a guide sing to me during a tour but I must say it was a
very enjoyable part of the tour.

It was pouring rain and I was unable to spend a lot of time at the mansion so I headed out to a place called Happy Hollow.  Here just a couple of miles off of Interstate 65 is the Jim Beam Distillery.  I arrived about 15 minutes before closing time, but was able to roam the property and take a few photos. 

My stop at the Jim Beam Distillery is the last of the distilleries that I plan to visit.  Over the last few days I have toured 4-different distilleries.  The tour that I enjoyed the least was Woodford Reserve. I don't know what it was but everyone there including my fellow tourist seemed sort of uppity and gave the impression that they were doing you a favor by allowing you to tour their facility.

The Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg was #3 on my list of distillery tours simply they were in the middle of their summer shutdown. Nothing was being produced so there wasn't a lot to see. The best part of the Wild Turkey Tour was the view of the Kentucky River and the decommissioned railroad trestle where the more daring tourist can bungee jump. I am not that brave so I passed on the Bungee Jumping.

Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort was #2 on my list because of the history and again we had a great guide named Jimmy.  Jimmy kept your attention and was well versed in the rich history of the distillery which is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United State.  While many distilleries were force out of business during prohibition, Buffalo Trace obtained an exemption and was able to produce bourbon for medicinal purposes. 

As I said earlier, my favorite tour was Marker's Mark just because they were in production and our guide was great. Plus being able to dip your own bottle into the signature red wax was a great way to end the tour.

So for a day that I completely threw together on the spur of the moment, I had a great time. I am back in Louisville for tonight and tomorrow I plan on moving on toward Mammoth Cave and the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. So that is the plan, but that is subject to change.