For someone who does not drink, I have been to a few breweries (Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Miller) as well as distilleries (Jack Daniels, Jim Bean and Wild Turkey) more than an average drinker. I enjoy learning about how products are manufactured and am facisnated with the operation of assembly lines. During our recent road trip to Kentucky, I had a great time learning about the whisky legacy and how master distillers created their signature brand of bourbon. There are six distilleries listed in the promotional brochure of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We only had time to visit two - Jim Bean and Wild Turkey.
Inside these giant gilos (above) are simple ingredients of wheat, corn and malted barley, add pure iron-free limestone spring water . . . mixed together in the tanks,
produces 30,000 gallons in each tank - that is a lot of whisky to help drown a person' sorrow :)
42,000 gallons of beer well would help take away any pains or heartbreaks. In the tasting room, I took a small sip of the bourbon and my upper lip stung for an hour! I bought a small bag of Bourbon Praline pecans. Even though the pecans had only natural bourbon flavor, I almost got drunk just eating a few - haa haa
Kentucky's finest bourbons aged in traditional white oak barrels from Michigan. We were told that the minimum for the whisky aging process is 4 years. Unlike people, whisky increases its value as it ages. A 14-year old bottle costs about $50. I hope my neighbors did not see that lately I have been spending time in the aisle of liquors at the supermarket! Not sure if anyone would believe me when I tell them the reason I know so much about America's official native spirit only from touring the distilleries.
I am starting a new category called "The Real Turkey" and this week's biggest turkey goes to the one that pandering to the women with big mouth and narrow views while our national security and world peace is being threaten. The other turkeys are the replacement refs and the Seahawks. Even if you are not football fans, you probably heard about the Packers v. Seahawks game on Monday night and the bizarre ending with the wrong call by replacement officials. The worst thing was even after the replay clearly showed that the Seahawks never had full possession of the ball, the officials still confirmed that the call on the field stand. When were the rules changed to putting your arms around the player who is holding the ball as full possession for the touchdown? In my book, it was unsportmanship for the Seahawks to celebrate a victory that they knew they have gotten due to errors made by the refs. Wasn't it like accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing and knowing full well that you have not earned it?
As you could see, Benjamin had a great time (big smile) when he accompanied us on our Labor Day weekend, a short 3-day (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) road trip to Old Kentucky Home. We left St. Louis on Saturday, Sept. 1st at 8:31 after filling up the gas tank on the Mustang. Gas price was $3.87 for mid-grade. (The T-bird must have premium and that is another reason why we take the Pony instead.) We took breaks for a quick breakfast, at rest stops, and continued driving until 14:07 and decided that it was time for lunch in Round Hill, Kentucky. We got to Mammoth Cave in Cave City, KY around 15:31. The rain started just as we were walking down into the cave. It was an interesting tour but I might have been "over-caved" (is there such a word?) because we just saw Ruby Falls (inside a cave) in Tennessee in July. After Mammoth Cave, we continued on and beddown in Louisville, KY at 21:52. (We planned to stay at the Wigwam Motel #2 in Cave City, KY but that did not happen. It was a long story so I will have to explain in another post.)
Next day (Sunday, Sept. 2nd) we attended 0900 Mass at St. Ritas Church in Louisville, KY. It was sunny when we left the church but became cloudy by the time we got to Jim Bean in Clermont, KY. While waiting for the tour to start at noon, we sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch of the historic home where three generations of the Beams lived way back when. On display inside the house were family photos and heirlooms. By the time we walked over to Warehouse D, the oldest rack house built by Jim Beam after prohibition, the rain were pouring so hard that we were stucked inside with nothing to do except looking at Kentucky's finest bourbon aging in 20,000 oak barrels!
We were cold and hungry by the time we drove into Bardstown, KY. USA Today and Rand McNalley named Bardstown one of the Most Beautiful Small Towns in America. Bardstown was also mentioned in the book, "1,000 Places to See Before You Die". Well, we did not see much because the rain was pouring. We could not find a restaurant that was open along 3rd Street in the beautiful downtown Bardstown because it was 1300 hour on a Sunday and a holiday. Someone might have taken a picture of me with rain dripping down begging "Sweet Mama" to let me in at Mammy's Kitchen! We finally found a restaurant that was open for lunch, across from My Old Kentucky Home State Park. Next stop was Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. (to be continued)
We were cold and hungry by the time we drove into Bardstown, KY. USA Today and Rand McNalley named Bardstown one of the Most Beautiful Small Towns in America. Bardstown was also mentioned in the book, "1,000 Places to See Before You Die". Well, we did not see much because the rain was pouring. We could not find a restaurant that was open along 3rd Street in the beautiful downtown Bardstown because it was 1300 hour on a Sunday and a holiday. Someone might have taken a picture of me with rain dripping down begging "Sweet Mama" to let me in at Mammy's Kitchen! We finally found a restaurant that was open for lunch, across from My Old Kentucky Home State Park. Next stop was Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. (to be continued) 