Through My Eyes: The Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2012

Me (grinning like a happy fool) and Four Roses Master Distiller, Jim RutledgeIf you've been reading for the last month, you'll know that I spent a week in visiting Kentucky in early September. (And yet I've been able to get a month's worth of blog posts out of that one week, weird.) I've been writing about visiting the distilleries. Those are the sexy topics that might get blog traffic when people search, but honestly I didn't go to Kentucky primarily to visit distilleries. I chose that week for one particular reason. That was the week of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, KY.  

It was my second time in Bardstown. Last time I was there I stayed right in Bardstown. I like Bardstown, but I don't want to stay there overnight again. It's a small town, everything closes at 5 pm and if you are staying there you can go to one of a handful of bars or watch tv in your hotel room. Sadly I did both on my first trip there.

I'd never been to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (KBF) before this. But, I kind of gathered from the reading I did ahead of time that things wouldn't be too far off from my first visit. At least not until the festival started. The grounds opened on Friday afternoon and I was going to be there starting Sunday. So I wasn't going to be staying in Bardstown. I stayed in Shepherdsville, KY, a town about a half hour toward Louisville from Bardstown. This was the best decision I made because it also meant I was only a half hour or so from downtown Louisville. And I found enough night life there to keep me from being bored on a Wednesday night. I was on vacation after all.

So the KBF itself was basically a small town festival with a few ticketed bourbon themed events. And honestly, I grew up in a small town. I love that about it. They took the typical beer garden and replaced it with a spirit garden. They took out the silly rides and replaced it with a bunch of bourbon or Kentucky themed t-shirt shops or local product booths. Love that. But other than that, if you picture a small town festival in a park you'll be really close. There are food trucks, there's a fenced off place to drink and exhibits. I spent an entire evening just sitting on a bench outside the Wild Turkey booth watching people go by. It was nice. 

But the ticketed events were where we had the most fun as first timers. I hear if you're a repeat visitor you have a few unofficial events that the same people go to and see the same people who they consider friends. I didn't have that so paid the money and I went to some of the ticketed events. I went to the All-Star Sampler, Let's Talk Bourbon, and the Bourbon Cocktail Mixology class. Most were fun and I'd go again, one in particular I would not. So let's dig into them a little.

The Kentucky Bourbon All-Star Sampler

Little groups of people chatting and eating and drinking at the Kentucky Bourbon All-Star Sampler™

This was such a fun event. It was held in what looked to be an industrial park on the north side of Bardstown. Inside a very large open building all the members of the KDA set up booths. From Jim Beam and Wild Turkey to little guys like Town Branch and my good friends MB Roland. They provide a nice spread of hors d'oeuvres. A bag to put things in and let you loose to talk to the distilleries. Or at least the employees of them. The micros mostly had the distillers on hand for you to talk to. Four Roses and Wild Turkey had Jim Rutledge and Jimmy Russell respectively. And then the best part—they all give out samples. Heaven Hill and Makers Mark gave out very nice glasses that now sit on my shelf. Woodford Reserve donated the money they were going to spend on glasses to charity. Others had disposable logo glasses or not as they wanted. 

I loved this event. It was so much fun. My wife got her photo taken with Jimmy Russell. I got my photo taken with Jim Rutledge. My buddy from MB Roland got interviewed by BourbonBlog. Heck, I got interviewed by BourbonBlog (though another lady threw me by hijacking the interview and I was drinking...sigh). There was a good sized group of people in attendance, but because it was a big space and there were a limited number of tickets sold, it felt intimate. I would totally go back, but if you go to this, remember there are 6 big guys and around that number small guys, and they all give samples...arrange a driver. Please.

Let's Talk Bourbon

This was held in a tent in the parking lot. But was so fun I had forgotten that until I saw the photos.

Oh my god! If you love bourbon, have a car and only can choose one event—make it this one. This is a very nice breakfast. Then there is a seminar on bourbon making by Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge. I've read a lot about making whiskey and I still learned so much. I was in the front row, taking notes and loving every minute of it. After (and during) the talk, Jim took questions from the audience. Everything from simple questions from novices to more in depth questions from those who had more knowledge. And all of them were answered in the same honest and earnest way. None were deemed too simple. 

After breakfast, the seminar and the questions, there was a tour. It was a bit rushed because of the sheer number of groups they were trying to get through, but still fun. After that (or during if you didn't take a tour) was a social gathering with cocktails and samples. We met new friends and found others in person for the first time. It really was so much fun. I can't say enough. But I run the risk of rambling because even though it was the best event, it was also the simplest. 

Bourbon Cocktail Mixology

The samples and nibbles for provided at the cocktail mixology class. They're arranged pretty.This was the class I was most excited about before I left my house. It's described as a way to learn why certain ingredients bring out the flavors of bourbon. I didn't learn any of that. I learned that Joy Perrine was very entertaining. I tasted about a dozen cocktails. All well made, some to my tastes, some not so much. I got a free autographed copy of her book. Which was nice. But it was not what was described to me. It's an expensive ticket. 

I would have been really happy with this if it were half the price and the description were worded a bit more accurately. But as it stands, I wouldn't go back. I'd drop the $15 on the book on Amazon and skip the event.

Joy Perrine and the cocktails she made during the Bourbon Cocktail Mixology™ class.

So what were the highlights that you can only see during the KBF? The exhibits were cool. The people watching were cool. The ticketed events were mostly cool. The Angel's Envy pop-up bar was cool. I actually enjoyed the BBQ from one of the food trucks. (I went back twice.) I enjoyed the crowds. I enjoyed the live music. I enjoyed meeting with friends, old and new.

What were the misses? I couldn't find the spirit garden (it was hidden behind the food trucks in a baseball field). I had the most fun in Louisville, not Bardstown. I enjoyed the distilleries much more than the festival itself. While I enjoyed the barrel rolling and the cooper demonstration, I didn't understand one and had the same demonstration while at a free tour at the cooperage for the other. Lodging in Bardstown is expensive, but that's to be expected.

Overall the positives outweigh the negatives. I might not go back next year, but I will certainly go back in years after that. I had so much fun. If you haven't gone, I recommend it. If you have, you already have your own ideas, but I still recommend it.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Jim Beam American Stillhouse & Distillery tour

Jim Beam had the distinct honor of being both my first and last distillery tour when I went to Kentucky in September. The first time was right away Monday morning. We visited the American Stillhouse visitor center, took a self-guided tour and wandered around. We knew that the new stuff wasn't officially open yet, so we didn't expect much more than this. It wasn't until Friday night when we were talking to other bourbon enthusiasts at a KBF event that we heard that if you were lucky they were offering guided tours in order to work the kinks out. Well ok, I guess we knew what we going to do the next morning. And that one was our last distillery tour. 

Keep in mind we toured as guinea pigs and did so free of charge. Your tour may vary some.

Jim Beam building near the beginning of the visitor's driveway. It's really this pretty.We got to Beam a little after 9 am. The ladies behind the counter remembered us when we walked in. (I noticed this seemed to be a common thing in Kentucky, so friendly.) We were the last two spots on the first tour. When 9:30 rolled around we boarded a bus and rolled down to the production area. First thing they showed us was the water pump. Every tour talks about the water, this is the first time we were shown an actual water pump.

This is the Jim Beam American Stillhouse, it houses the gift shop and you get your tickets for the tour and tasting hereAfter the water pump, we go through a door into a very clean area where there is a mash cooker coming out of the floor. The lid is open and there is a gentleman waiting to show us how they add the grains to it. I got to help add the ground corn. That's right, I've now helped make a Jim Beam product. Then it's around a corner to three of the smallest fermentation tanks I've ever seen. These are very obviously for audience visualization purposes, though I'd guess they use the product inside in any case. Turn around and there is a small still about the size of some of the craft distillers I've been to. And then out a door and onto a porch.

I'm adding ground corn to the cooker. Yeah, I help make Jim Beam now.

This is Kyle, our tour guide, next to the tiny fermentation tanks. Kyle was a knowledgable, informative, and fun tour guide.

Shortly after the tiny fermentation tanks was giant still. This is a big damn still.Our next stop is the actual fermentation tank room. I will never get over how much each of these tanks hold and just how many of them there are at some of these big plants. After we walk through that room, we get to see the big still. This one produces somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 gallons every minute. Then it's off to the Knob Creek barrel dumping area. This is where we realize we really are guinea pigs. They grab the drill to take out the bung and nothing happens. Three guys come over and play with levers and another tries an old fashioned way of removing the bung with a mallet before they finally apologize and move us along to the bottling line. It seems this runs on the same air pressure system because there is very little bourbon entering the bottles as they go past.

A sheepish and apologetic non-demonstration of a barrel dumping.On our way back to the bus we are shown a collection of old decanters and the room that holds whiskey from each batch for the last two years (quality control samples). Then we jump back into the bus and ride back up the hill to the aging warehouse they have set up for us to wander through. It's well lit with display lighting to help show off what they've got in there. And all those wonderful smells are there too. If it wasn't for the fact that the tasting was next, I might have wanted to stay longer. 

Dramatically lit barrels of probably tasty bourbon.But the tasting was next so off we hurried. Beam has an unusually high tech tasting area. You get a small gift card looking thing that is loaded with 2 credits. You put the card in a machine, hold your glass under a spigot and press a button. A very small amount of bourbon or rye are then dispensed to you. You pull your card out, taste your sample and repeat. Then you give your card back and go spend money in the gift shop or wander around the grounds a bit. Maybe even sit in a rocker in the early morning sun. You could totally do that. I did.

This is a very pretty tasting bar. Push a button, get bourbon. I need one of these for the house.Last year I mentioned how even though the Beam tour could have been just a self guided tour, it was really fun due to the guide we had. This year was just as fun. There is something to be said for an operation that is just that damn big. And when the people you interact with obviously love what they do and who they work for/with it just makes for a nice time. I really liked this tour. The only knock on it was the tasting machine. Every other distillery has someone there to interact with you, pour your whiskies and tell you a bit about them. You got a card here. It lost a little of the personal touch. On the up side, everyone in your party could choose something different and whatever they wanted. Sot that's nice. 

If you are in the Louisville area, take the time to make a trip to Jim Beam. It really is a cool place and a nice tour.

At the end of it all, sometimes it's just nice to sit in a rocker in the sun by Booker.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Woodford Reserve Corn-To-Cork tour

It was Thursday, September 13th. I know because it was my 15th wedding anniversary. My wife and I felt that there was no better place to start this very special anniversary than one of the prettiest distilleries in Kentucky. I'm going to say right off the bat that I like this tour. But I knew that going in. You see, I've been on this one before. In fact, this tour is the one that made my wife decide to give whiskey a chance. There were some differences this time. The price increased from $10 per person to $25. We actually got to see the bottling area. And we wandered around the back of some of the buildings and saw the old water cisterns and the stream out back. Our tour guide was different as well. His name was Earl, and he gave a very good tour. 

 Horses watching from behind a fence along the drive to Woodford Reserve

Looking back from the entrance of the Woodford Reserve Visitor Center. I kinda wish I had these flagstones outside my door.

As you walk up to the fermentation and still building, they are always sure to point out the grind stone that was found on the property and set above the entry. It's cool, but very worn.

Recently filled barrels on a track going to the aging warehouse. Shot out the door to the fermentation room.

Mash fermenting in very large wooden vats. We were told that these were made from boards cut from logs that had been preserved in a swamp for a hundred plus years

The picture everyone takes at Woodford. The beer still, the whiskey safe, and the name on the wall.

A more interesting detail of one of the other stills which was open so you could look into it.

This is the stream that runs out behind the distillery. There is a small footbridge across it which leads to the old farm where the fathers of American Bourbon once lived.

Looking back at the distillery building while standing in front of an aging warehouse.

A close up of the rough hewn limestone aging warehouse. A lot of the buildings on the grounds are made of this material. Only the aging warehouses have bars on the windows though.

You can almost smell the angel's share through the screen can't you. Well, I can.

This is a barrel about to be dumped. We didn't get to see that, the workers were on break. But Earl did thieve some out of the barrel and let us smell it.

Like I said at the beginning. I liked this tour. Earl was a good tour guide. What I really liked about this tour, was that it was apparent that each tour guide was able to customize the tour to their strengths. Last time I was there I had a former science teacher giving the tour and he told us about molecules and fossils. This time, Earl gave us a bit more of the history and details about the grounds. Both were very good, just different. 

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Barton 1792 distillery tour

Enjoying a 86 proof Very Old Barton while I write this. It just seemed appropriate.

Storage tank on top of the buildings at 1792

It was Wednesday. We were up early. We had to be on the road to get to Bardstown by 9 am in order to get on the first tour of the day at Barton. We had a lot planned today and needed to get this tour out of the way early. 

That's how I thought of it. "Get it out of the way." Well, before I went on it I thought of it that way. 

Barton was a hold over from my first trip to Kentucky. They started offering tours one week after I had left that last time. Made me sick because I ended up driving past it two or more times on that trip and each time I was disappointed. To say it was on the list was an understatement. It was the first thing to get put on the list this time around. Not that I was expecting a lot. I mean, I didn't really drink anything that was made there. It was curiosity, really, nothing more. 

We walked into the gift shop just a little before 9 am. We get on the first tour and we browse around the shop a little bit. I've got my eye on a couple things I plan to check out a bit later when an older gentleman in a logo'd polo and khaki shorts—Don—walks out and asks who's on the tour. Robin and I said we were and expected that the other two people in the shop would as well, but they didn't. 

This means another "private" tour. I love those.

As we walk out of the gift shop, Don asks if we'd been on any other distillery tours. We admitted that we'd been on about 4 already that week and seven on our previous trip and that we'd been to Independent Stave as well. At this point, he jokingly asks if we'd like to switch roles because we've obviously done this more times than him. I admit it, I thought about it. Briefly. As we walk across the parking lot and over to the first stop Don fills us in on the history of the plant, the company, and a little about what it's like to live so close to the distillery. It turns out he lives just up the hill. 

Black painted Barton aging warehouse

The aging warehouse isn't much to look at on the outside. Like, Maker's it is black with red trim. It looks nice, such as it is. It looks better than it would if it were white and covered in fungus. And Don admits that was the reasoning behind painting it. I wonder what that does for the whiskey aging inside since it'll draw a lot more heat that way.

One of many very beautiful and dramatic photos we got inside the Barton aging warehouse.

On the inside it's different. It doesn't look that much different than other rick houses. Thick wooden beams. Barrels filled with wonderful whiskey. A smell that makes you want to stay there forever. But they all have that. No the difference is subtle. It's in the lighting. It's more dramatic. Certainly more photogenic. We took some that make me want to weep they are so pretty. We wander in there for a little while, learning about things like the elevator shaft and a strange device called a mule (a device which it seems no one working there will either confirm nor deny the existence of to him). 

After the warehouse we walk over to the still house. This is one damn big still. Don explains a little about it, but what he is better at is telling stories. Don reminds me of my grandfather in some ways. Except that after one of my grandfather's stories, I was never poured a whiskey. 

One big damn still

Don's stories about the still being done, we head over to the bottling area. They weren't bottling bourbon that morning, but we get to wander around with him as he talks about various things that are happening on the line and of course more stories he is reminded of as we walk by things. Stories like one about a former tour patron explaining that he and his friends used to drink Ten High and still would occasionally say "Ten High: for when it doesn't matter." A statement which Don quietly said he very much agreed with as it's not very good.

The view from the gift shop door.

Then it was back to the gift shop for a tasting. We tried Very Old Barton 86 proof and 1792 Ridgemont Reserve. As a nice gesture to those who like such things, they also had them available chilled in case you were the type who liked it that way. I wasn't but I appreciated the gesture. Oddly in a head to head, I liked the Very Old Barton better. If it were available in MN, I'd save myself a bunch of money with that realization. As it stands though, that knowledge does me no good.

I loved this tour. I was amazed at the photogenic-ness of the warehouse, the size of the still. But I will fully admit that it might just be that I loved the tour guide. Don was awesome. I would do this again in a heart beat.

I can't forget the world's largest whiskey barrel. Can I? Near a visitor picnic area, the only one I saw at a distillery.

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Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Willett Distillery tour

Willett Distillery was a bit of a wild card for me. I'd been to or researched every other tour on our trip. All I knew about Willett is that when we first called to see if they were doing tours during the Bourbon Fest, they thought it would be a good idea. They sounded small. I like small places as much as I like big places. The tours are often more personal, more private. 

So that's my way of saying that when we pulled up the steep gravel drive we weren't quite sure what to expect. At the top of the driveway we turned a corner and saw a building with a parking lot on one side and an old aging warehouse on the other. Off in the distance there looked to be some more industrial buildings. We stopped in the parking lot, there were chairs on the porch. Peaked my head in a couple doors and decided that this couldn't be where we were supposed to be. So we hopped back into the car and drove down toward those industrial looking buildings. As we got closer, saw a small sign that said gift shop and we spotted a parking lot behind it. 

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An aging aging warehouse (not a typo)

This time we were pretty sure we were where we wanted to be. As we parked and looked around, we were struck by how pretty this place was. We went into the gift shop and paid for our tour. $7 for tour and tasting. 

First stop on the tour was to watch a truck unload some grain. It was interesting, but I was distracted by the very interesting arched gold door in front of us. It had very large medieval looking hinges and a handle shaped like a pot still. After the tour guide finishes discussing the history of the property and of the business, we go inside. As we make our way up the black metal and wood stairs, our guide fills us in on a some more background on who the company is and what's going on around us.

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The rough hewn stone, wood ceiling and exposed beams make this one of the most authentically beautiful distilleries I've seen.

Once we get upstairs we are shown the fermentation tanks. There are some filled and some empty. What I am really struck by is the rough hewn stone that is being installed around us. Off in the corner the workmen are still installing some of it. It is beautiful. This is already one heck of place and is just getting more so. After a side trip to see the column still—the little column still which is running a batch as we watch it—we head down stairs to see the pot still. 

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Viewing window on the column still.

We are told by our tour guide as we look at the still that we will never see anything like it. She tells us it is patented. Unfortunately she didn't say why and now I'm curious. I tried doing a google patent search but all I found for these guys was a design patent on the pot still shaped bottle they have. Oh well. I'll ask next time.

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Willet Pot Still

In between the still house and the closest aging warehouse we make a stop at the barrel filling room. Then it's over to the aging warehouse. This one isn't quite as picturesque on the outside, but the inside is full of aging barrels of whiskey and that's even better. Then its back into the gift shop for the tasting. 

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Tasty whiskey peacefully aging

I like this tasting. First whiskey we try is the Willett Pot Still Reserve. I found this to be a tasty whiskey. Enough so that I  plan to purchase one in the future so that I can spend some more time with it.  Then it got really interesting. They gave us the opportunity to taste anything they had. That included the 23 year old rye or some really old bourbon that I can't remember due to being distracted by the rye. I did not try the old rye or the old bourbon. I have no self control, if I tried it, I would have liked it. Then I would have had to fight with myself to not buy it. And it was out of my budget. So instead I tried the five year old rye and ended up buying it with no regrets about what I could have tasted.

I like this tour. It's a beautiful facility, the tour was informative and the tasting was great. I do think they need better signage at the top of the hill to tell you where to go and I wonder at the $7 tour fee but I had fun and want to do it again next time I am in Kentucky.

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This is how I felt during and after my tour: happy.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Maker's Mark Distillery tour

After visiting Independent Stave we stopped off at Maker's Mark since it was on the way back to Bardstown and we wanted to get our passport stamped. We weren't planning on taking a tour, since we'd already been on the tour last April. But when a cheerful person asks me if I want a tour when I walk up, I automatically say yes. Much of the tour was the same, so we mostly just took the opportunity to take a lot of pictures. 

Entrance Sign at Maker's Mark

The Maker's Mark campus is beautiful

Almost all of the building on campus are black with red shutters

Even the more industrial looking items and buildings follow the branded look of the campus.

The inside of the buildings are showpieces too. This is a mash cooker and too highly polished copper tanks.

Fermentation tanks with the logo on the wall behind them.

I found this bottle labeling machine fascinating.

These bottles have just been dipped and are going into a chamber to set the wax.

The new tasting rooms are a major improvement. And they are also beautiful with very nice artwork.

We tasted unaged, regular Maker's Mark, "Over Matured" Maker's Mark and Maker's 46

After the tasting, you can visit the gift shop and have the opportunity to buy a souvenir bottle and dip it yourself. Robin took that opportunity.

This is probably my least favorite distillery tour. It is very pretty, very highly polished, but I felt that it was much more about style than it was about substance. We visited an aging warehouse, but it was empty. We had a tasting of a product (the "Over Matured) that the tour guide claimed was only made so that they could make sure that the stuff they've been making is good. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm not sure if there was a mistake somewhere or if they're doing extra market research. Either one would make more sense.

If you don't know anything about bourbon or never developed a taste for it, this is the one I would recommend because it will make you want to drink Maker's which will make you curious about other bourbons and bring you into the fold. But for me, this tour only rates a meh.

Bourbon Trail Background: Independent Stave Company's, Kentucky Cooperage tour

Independent Stave Company. If you are a Bourbon geek like I am, you've probably heard of this company. They are one of only a handful of companies across the country that make the barrels that all that tasty bourbon ages in. In fact, almost every major producer of bourbon along the Bourbon trail uses the barrels from this one company. I learned about them on my first pass along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. And once I saw that they offered tours, I knew I needed to get myself on one the next time I was in Kentucky.

It's about 9:00 when we roll into Lebanon, KY home of Independent Stave Company. Tour starts at 9:30 sharp. We are early. To pass the time until our tour starts, we drive around the small town for a bit. Pretty town, but there is a strange dust floating on the wind. It's not until we get back to the visitor parking lot that we realize that it's sawdust. 

We walk up to the building and enter what looks to be the break room. There is another couple already sitting in the little roped off area near the door. No one else is there so we take our seats there too. At just about 9:30 a gentleman walks over and tells us we are going to watch a video and plays it for us. 

As you might have guessed, this is our tour guide. 

After the video, he hands us safety glasses and hearing protection if we want them and leads us into the plant. Inside the work area, there is a set of risers behind a metal railing. We all step up onto that to...watch another video. This time due to the noise, there is no sound. It sounds bad, but for safety issues, there is no way we are going to be allowed to get close to the folks working. I actually like it, it has captions that tell what all the precesses you can see from there are called. After the video we get a demonstration of a barrel raising. Barrel raising is an art. A lot of decisions need to be made for every barrel in order to make sure it stays water tight when it is finished. You need to meet a minimum number of staves, but not go over a maximum number. And when you are finished, you need to meet a very tight tolerance for the circumference or it might leak. Yeah, these guys are good.

The next stop is the one that everyone who's even thought of the tour is waiting for. This is where we get to see the fire. In between where we watched the barrel raising and where we were standing, the barrels had been steamed, formed and had a temporary band placed on them. As we pretended to watch the video, we all watched the charring. This is where the barrel rides a conveyor to a barrel-end sized nozzle and then a natural gas fire is shot and sucked through the barrel for 40 or 55 seconds. 

It is so cool! Oh and we were informed that no matter what the distillery tour say, they all use either 40 or 55 seconds (number 3 or 4 char). I found that very interesting.

The final stop on tour is one that I found very surprising. It's where they repair the barrels they just made. They tell us that roughly 20% of the newly made barrels will need to be repaired. A cooper quickly takes the barrel apart and pulls out the bad stave, matches it with a stack of staves that are piled nearby, puts the new one back in and puts it back together, sealing the seams with cat tails (the marsh plant not the kitty's hind end). Nature's silicone he called it. 

Then it was done. We gave back our safety glasses, shook hands and walked out. That's it. It's a short tour, but very interesting. I liked this tour a lot. I wish it was longer and that you had a little more time to watch what was happening. The videos were on a large screen that obscured much of the process. You only saw certain parts of it. But the parts you saw were the parts most people would want to see. If you love bourbon or are planning to visit Maker's Mark, plan to stop in to Independent Stave's Kentucky Cooperage. Tours are at 9:30 am and 1 pm sharp, Monday through Friday except on holidays.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Heaven Hill Behind the Scenes tour

I'm having a little Evan Williams 1783 while I write this. Thought it was fitting to have a Heaven Hill product I'd never had before while writing about my visit to their facility.

This is my second tale of a visit to Heaven Hill. I was not impressed by the first visit, tour ticket mishaps and what-not. You can go back and read that one if you want, it's well written but not very flattering.

This tale begins well before I went to Kentucky. If you went back and read about my previous trip to Heaven Hill, you'll know that I was pretty upset. I almost didn't go back other than to get my passport stamped. A few months ago (4-6 or so?, might have been) I visited the Heaven Hill website to check on something or another. Seeing if a brand was theirs or something. I was rooting around the site, as you do, when I saw a link to the Bourbon Heritage Center site. On a whim I clicked the link so I could relive that sweet little worm of a memory of my disappointment. You know so I could really remember how much I didn't like it.

The site had been redone. It was actually really nice looking. Stupid good looking site. I clicked on the view our tours link, and then on the Book a Tour link. Everything was really slick. I was impressed. So much so, that before I knew it I was inputting my credit card info into the slick little form and buying tickets for the Behind the Scenes tour for both my wife and I. 

Stupid good looking and slick form...

Ok fast-forward to the day of the tour. I'm a bit nervous, as you might expect. But there was no need. I walked in, the lady behind the little desk greeted us warmly, asked what we were there for, checked us in and gave us our little stickers. We were in. 

Fred, our tour guide got the two of us set up in the movie theater. (Yes, it was just the two of us, I know, right? how awesome!) I described the movie in the last post, it hadn't changed. I was right though, with a better outlook it, I did like it. After the movie we walked out, got into a van, and drove across the parking lot. 

Did I tell you Fred was old? Well, he is. And he's a retired school teacher. Which means that he was completely full of the ol' knowledge.

So we got out of the van at the barrel filling building. This was an impressive process. There was one person working the filling machines in there, one unloading the truck holding the empty barrels, one loading the full one into another truck and some quality assurance people behind the scenes. That's it. Everything was controlled by hydraulic activators. Everything. It was like a mad genius who hated computers put this thing together. It was awesome!

Barrel filling by mad-genius machine

After the barrel filling room we went to the warehouse. This was part of our previous tour. It was still good. I loved it. The smell of a bourbon aging warehouse is unbelievable. Old wood, evaporating bourbon, dust and sunshine. I could have stood there all day just smelling.

This barrel was filled on Dec 7, 2010 (number of letter in alphabet=number of month in year, A=January, B=February, etc)But I didn't. Out we went and piled back into the van. Next stop was the barrel extraction room. Now I have to call it this, other places will call it the dump house or something similar, in fact Heaven Hill did too. But there was no dumping. Instead another mad genius hydraulic system bought full barrels to be vacu-sucked empty. I'm sure there is a very good reason for the vacu-sucking. I didn't ask. They didn't say.

Vacu-suck extraction of bourbon

Next stop was the bottling line. Compared to Four Roses, this was massive. Like, that took up a corner and this took up somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4 giant rooms. It was huge. They had a bunch of lines. Almost all of them were down or filling something other than bourbon, but by this time, we didn't care. This was an amazing tour. Totally worth the $25.

But it wasn't done. Oh no. A van ride back to the Heritage Center and we walked into the large barrel shaped tasting room. Fred was on his game. He knew we were bourbon drinkers, and didn't bother with the entire how to taste presentation we got last time. No we just got down to business. He offered us about 5-6 different bourbons to choose from. My wife chose the 20 year and 21 year Elijah Craig. I took the new Larceny and the Elijah Craig 12 year (but a higher proof one than I can get at home). Needless to say, we each also tasted each others. I wasn't going to let that kind of old bourbon go by without at least a sip.

And then it was done. We each got a souvenir pin, a signed certificate, and an invitation to the gift shop. All of which I appreciated greatly.

So, yes, I loved this tour. My attitude has flipped 180 degrees. I will now recommend the Behind the Scenes tour to anyone who will ask. Or in this case, to an entire internet who didn't ask. It was great. Fred was awesome. I'd say he's tied with Terry at Four Roses and maybe one other for best tour guide we had. I loved hanging out with him and chatting. What was going on around us was just gravy. Very tasty and informative gravy.