I am not going to lie. I honestly did not expect to be writing about the Kentucky Bourbon Festival this year. Mostly because it didn’t happen, at least not in the traditional sense. But since nothing in 2020 is has happened as tradition dictates, why should the festival be any different?
And let me be clear. I would not have attended a traditional festival this year even had it happened. I try not to leave the house these days, much less travel across the country. But in any case, the folks running the BourbonFest wisely decided not to tempt any of us and gave us a “Virtual” festival instead.
And, honestly? I was pretty impressed. Every evening I was sitting in my living room, feet up, bourbon at hand, and watching each new video as it premiered on YouTube. There were a few clunkers, but I really enjoyed the videos they put out for the most part.
I thought writer Steve Coomes was a great host. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I’ve read a lot of his work. He had an easy rapport with all of his guests, and skillfully led the conversations and interviews.
The topics covered were interesting. There were cocktail classes, cooking shows, a five-part series on the making of bourbon, and conversations with bourbon royalty such as Fred Noe, Eddie Russell, and Bill Samuels Jr. I think the most informative part was the series on bourbon making. The series included episodes about fermentation, distillation, aging, rick houses, and blending…err…mingling (since Four Roses was there). The most entertaining show featured Fred Noe, Eddie Russell, and their sons talking about the adventures they’ve had while promoting their brands. About the only ones I didn’t enjoy were those about collecting. But then again, working on a freelancers budget doesn’t make me the target market for videos about spending a ton of money on rare whiskey.
Overall though, I really enjoyed myself. And here’s the crazy thing, last year, my wife and I had decided that maybe we were done going to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. It had gotten stale for us and the changes weren’t really helping. We’d planned on probably not attending this year even before the pandemic hit, maybe just head down a different week. But, watching these videos made me miss it as nothing else could. I really like Bardstown. And I love the way the community gathers to celebrate their local industry. It a fun time. So I’m happy I took the time to watch the virtual festival this year.
Visit the Kentucky Bourbon Festival YouTube Channel and you can watch them too.
Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.
Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.