WHISKEY!

Adventures on Kentucky's Bourbon Trail

Jon and I drove to Kentucky to do the Bourbon Trail for our vacation this year. Now, I am a vodka and wine drinker, not a whole lot into Bourbon, but I love me a good adventure and have never visited the land of Mitch McConnell and mint juleps, so hey, why not?

I did not have a lot of expectations, this was Jon’s deal, and I love him, so expected that my entertainment would be through Jon’s experiences. Oh sure, I’m a biochemist, so the process of distilling would be interesting. I’ve spent too many hours in organic chem lab not to be entertained by mass-scale distillation. But that was about it.

Well, color me floored because I had a blast. This was a truly fun week. Jon and I had fun together and fun watching the distillation process. From big mega-factory that is Bulleit distillery to the tiny and historic Barrel House, each distillery was interesting and unique. However, the most fun was at the quirky Whiskey Thief Distillery which sits in the middle of a pasture just outside of Frankfort.

Where the other distilleries had a set tour after which you are put in a room and schooled on the intricacies of tasting Bourbon, at Whiskey Thief they pull a slug out of a cask with a copper tube called a whiskey thief, hand you a generous shot in a cool whiskey glass and suggest you go sit by the fire, eat pretzels, and enjoy the afternoon. We did! That was the best afternoon of the trip.

We chatted with other visitors and the staff. Played with the cool doggos that the staff brought to work. We poked the fire a bit and just relaxed. And sipped some pretty darn good Bourbon, of course. So much fun! At the end of restful afternoon, sporting a nice glow, we filled our own bottles from the casks using a whiskey thief. It was the perfect end to a perfect day!

If you are near Frankfort check out Whiskey Thief. And consider the Bourbon Trail for a fun and unique vacation!