In Reflection: The Bourbon Trail

In reflecting upon our Bourbon Trail experience, I figured I'd spend some time explaining some lessons we learned along the way. First things first, anybody who tells you that the distillery stops and tours get boring after awhile are apparently not doing it right. Each distillery has a different history and a different approach for how they describe the process during tours. There are different approaches for tasting experiences. There are different sites to see and personalities to meet. In other words, if you run across other blogs that complain that they all are the same...they are wrong and perhaps no one should listen to them.

What may make some folks say that all stops along the Bourbon Trail are the same? Well, you will get the hear the basics of making bourbon a lot. For example, there are some general rules you will hear about for what makes bourbon an actual bourbon. 1) It must be made in the United States. It doesn't have to be made in Kentucky, but it just so happens to be the state where most bourbons are made. It's probably because of that sweet-ass limestone water that makes it a great place for distilling. 2) The mash bill must contain at least 51% corn. It's up the individual distilleries to figure out if they want to fill the rest with rye, barley, or wheat. 3) Bourbon must be aged in new charred oak barrel. Most of the used barrels are later used to make other spirits (like Scotch) or other production production cycle (such as bourbon barrel beard oil...no idea what this even means). 4) The goodness has to come off the still at a max of 160 proof and enter the barrel for storage at no more of 125 proof. When bottled, bourbon has to be at least 80 proof. 5) No additional flavorings, coloring, or additives can be made to the bourbon. The color and flavor of bourbon derives from the yeast, mash bill, and aging in the barrel. In addition to these basic laws, you will also be told that the best bourbon is the one that's in your glass and the one you enjoy. I honestly can't argue with that rule. I'm not much for wheated bourbons and discovered that everyone will have a unique flavor experience with each bourbon. If you don't believe me just gather up some friends for a tasting and see what smells and flavors each one of you experiences. Everyone is different. Just like each stop on the trail itself.

There were similarities across each stop on the Bourbon Trail, but there were also incredible differences. There are three key dynamics that seemed to create noticeable differences among the various distillers - the locale (urban v. rural), the tour guide, and the swag. The locale of the trail stop (or distillery) seemed to matter quite a bit as to what kind of experience you were likely to have while visiting. Urban locations were much more apt to be short, abbreviated experiences compared to those location in the more sprawling suburban or rural areas. For example, those stops located in Lexington (i.e. Town Branch) and downtown Louisville (i.e. Angel's Envy, Evan Williams, and Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse) were much different compared to other distillery experiences. Despite having my least favorite bourbon varieties, The Evan Williams Experience would win my award for best "Disney-like" tour. The sheer intensity of staging and multi-media made this a truly unique tour. The Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse didn't actually include a tour, but the urban location made for a great late-night tasting. The facility was also spot-on for urban rustic chic. Comparatively, Angel's Envy and Town Branch were the only urban locales to have a fully operating distillery that you could fully experience. The Evan Williams Experience did feature a craft distillery, but it did not include the same tour elements found at Angel's Envy or Town Branch, where you actually got to see the full production line. The sprawling estates of the suburban and rural locations created a greater opportunity to see the entire production process and get placed on different types of tours besides a standard offering. We also felt more connected to the history of bourbon itself while visiting these more expansive operations. The personality of the distillery would come out as you got to see the land that shaped the people. For example, Woodford Reserve truly came off as a bourbon for equestrians and those horse people. (Maybe this isn't true, but it did have a country club vibe.)

The tour guides were a second dynamic that made all the difference. Some tour guides were terrible. I'm not going to call out which distilleries on the trail seemed to employ living robots, but I am going to give props to Bulleit and Wild Turkey for having amazing tour guides that truly left a great impression. Four Roses and Heaven Hill get honorable mentions for tasting guides that were super nice and kind.

Finally, the swag was also one of those elements that seemed to make some experiences better than others. Call me a consumer if you like but I like to get little mementos from my stops. All official stops on the Bourbon Trail do require a fee for a tour (and as a side note, don't be that asshole that only stops in for a passport stamp - have some class and take a tour). The only distillery we toured that didn't have a fee was Buffalo Trace, and that distillery is not a stop of the official Bourbon Trail. While we hid out in our hotel on the fourth day from that gnarling snow and ice storm, we took stock of the goodies we acquired along the way. Many of them were bought from the gift shops, but a number we free or given to us as part of our tour experience. We also realized that not all stops offered us chocolate as part of the tasting experience. This was disappointing to an extent since chocolate is so damn delicious. So, if you are curious, this is the swag from each stop on the Bourbon Trail with additional reminders of the number of tastings:

Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse

- shotglass

- 3 standard tastings; 4th tasting your choice

Angel's Envy

- free boxed water

- on tour tasting of distiller's beer and moonshine

- 1 standard tasting with orange chocolate

The Evan Williams Experience

- 4 standard tastings

Bulleit

- 4 standard tastings

Wild Turkey

- rock glasses

- 4 standard tastings; 1 complementary because someone was awesome - if chocolate was involved I don't remember it

Woodford Reserve

- 2 standard tastings with a bourbon ball

Town Branch

- 4 standard tastings

Four Roses (Distillery)

- rock glasses

- 3 standard tastings

Maker's Mark

- sample brewer's beer

- 5 standard tastings with bourbon balls

Heaven Hill (Connoisseur Experience)

- sample glass

- 4 standard tastings

- Bourbon Trail Almanac - free with a gift shop purchase

The swag doesn't necessarily make or break an experience, but there are some brands that will obviously have a continued presence in my house because of their swag.

In hindsight, there are a couple of things I wish we could have experienced while we were there. I wish we could have had time to visit the actual Jim Beam distillery. I wish we could have had time to also visit the Four Roses warehouses. I have a feeling that we will be back one day to work on the completion of the craft distillery trail, but until then I get to run around in my Bourbon Trail t-shirt (and maybe eventually get the rock glass they will eventually start offering that has 2018 instead of 2017 stamped on it.)