Hiking at Buckley Wildlife Sanctuary

Mary made an excellent breakfast casserole from a recipe for Holiday Scramble that her friend, Dawn, gave her. The mix of eggs, sausage and cheese was excellent and we all enjoyed it. While the casserole was baking, I put a pound of bacon in the oven and we had a few slices with the casserole.

Sampling bourbon at Castle & Key Distillery

Mary, Cindy and I went to the early service at church then came back to the house and changed clothes to go for an outing. We drove to the Glenn’s Creek area near Frankfort where we stopped at Castle and Key Distillery in the old E. H. Taylor Distillery that had sat vacant for many years before the recent renovation. The grounds at Castle and Key are beautiful and we walked around the botanical trail then bought a flight of bourbons made at the distillery. I believe that everyone preferred the wheat whiskey over the other offerings.

Castle & Key Distillery

We drove the short distance to the Glenn’s Creek Distillery in the former Old Crow Distillery. We didn’t go into the distillery but just turned in the parking area. Our hike for the day was at Buckley Wildlife Sanctuary, a privately owned property. We put a donation in the box then selected one of the longer hikes taking us through the wooded areas and meadows. There wasn’t much elevation change making the hike easy. We pulled some invasive garlic mustard plants as we walked. Once we returned to the parking area, we sat in the bird blind and watched the large variety of birds at the feeders. There were several bird identification books in the blind and pictures lined the walls of some of the birds that are frequently seen from the blind.

Hiking at Buckley Wildlife Sanctuary

After leaving the nature preserve we drove to Woodford Reserve Distillery. We hadn’t scheduled a visit so we briefly walked around the visitor center and gift shop then came home.

Mary made her popular Schmidt’s meatloaf recipe with spätzle, Caesar salad and a few stalks of asparagus from our garden. We watched some episodes of Swamp People and Serpent Invasion on Philo before going to bed.

Castle and Key Distillery

The Old Taylor Distillery near Frankfort, Kentucky has long interested us because of the appearance of the limestone structures that resemble a European castle.  Built by the flamboyant Col. E. H. Taylor in the late 1890s after a trip to Europe where he was taken with the beauty of the medieval castles. 

Aristocratically born and descended from two U. S. presidents (James Madison and Zachery Taylor), Col. Taylor had expensive tastes and was accustomed to getting what he wanted.  His title of Colonel was not from service in the military but, like Colonel Sanders, was because he was a Kentucky Colonel.  Taylor came to distilling because of his role as a banker in funding several distilleries.  He was very innovative in his introduction of copper fermentation vats, column stills and the use of steam heat in rickhouses.  Perhaps his greatest contribution to the bourbon industry was his influence in establishing the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897.  This provision assured purity of bourbon at a time when getting unadulterated spirits was nearly impossible.  The Bottled in Bond Act required bourbon sold with the designation “Bottled-in-Bond” to be 100 proof, be distilled in one six month season, stored in government inspected warehouses for a minimum of four years.  Bottled in Bond bourbon labels included the location of distillation and bottling in the U. S.  Probably not coincidentally, many of the provisions of the Bottled in Bond Act favored Col. Taylor’s bourbon operations.

Castle and Key bourbon in storage

After launching Old Fire Copper (OFC) Distillery (now called Buffalo Trace Distillery) in Frankfort, Taylor wanted to build a distillery that was a destination center.  While most distilleries at the end of the 1800s were intended to produce whiskey quickly, Col. Taylor wanted to make his distillery as well as the bourbon to be an attraction.  He set to have the grounds of the distillery beautifully landscaped and prepared for visitors.  His political influence brought a rail line to run by his distillery along with many visitors.  He also had the world’s longest masonry rickhouse.  This steam heated storage facility could age an unbelievable quantity of bourbon barrels to maturity.  The distillery was in operation from 1897 through 1972 when it closed and was abandoned.  The facility began a decline that appeared to lead to demolition over the 40+ years that the facility sat empty. 

Restored gardens at Castle and Key

Since the former Old Taylor Distillery is just a stone’s throw from the Woodford Reserve Distillery along Glenn’s Creek near Millville, Kentucky, we have driven past the abandoned structure many times.  We have admired the beauty of the limestone castle and wished that we could walk through it.  A couple of years ago it appeared that our wish would some day be granted when we saw renovations taking place.  Although the temptation to trespass to see the progress of the restoration was very tempting, we settled for taking photos from the road.  When we read that a group was planning to return the Old Taylor site to the former glory of 100 years ago, we were overjoyed.  We learned that a talented young master distiller was recruited who has big plans to make great spirits in an inspiring location.  The name, Castle and Key, was chosen because of the castle appearance of the main distillery building and the keyhole shaped spring from which the water for the bourbon is drawn. 

Keyhole shaped spring

My pal, Greg, is just as taken with the idea of touring Castle and Key as I am so we had to go visit.  Advance tickets for tours were sold on a very limited basis and tours of the distillery are to end in late May 2018 so renovation and restoration can continue on pace.  We were happy to be able to get into the facility before many changes are made. 

We left Huntington around 9 am and drive to Central Kentucky stopping at Rural King to pick up a few items.  I needed additional diesel tanks for the tractor fuel and Greg wanted to look at the bargains on blue jeans. We stopped by the Georgetown house to drop off some things and to let Greg drive the tractor around some.  We left shortly for the drive to Castle and Key arriving about 30 minutes early for our 2:30 pm tour.  We started in the original yeast room that was done in white tile that would have been easy to clean for maintaining the yeast cultures.  

Steel fermentation vats

We went to the fermentation room and was shocked to learn how many large fermentation tuns were in the room.  I didn’t fully understand why the steel tanks with a thin coating of oxidation didn’t cause problems with the fermentation.  I know that iron is the enemy of bourbon which is why the barrels have no nails so I want to learn more about the steel vats.  Our guide told us that the distillery is currently making spirits for other distillers until production gets in full swing on Castle and Key products. 

Stainless steel column still for making vodka and gin

We saw where the giant old column still once stood which was removed to make way for a smaller Vendome copper bourbon column still that is more efficient on the scale that is expected at Castle and Key.  There also a small stainless steel column still for making vodka and gin.  This still has a chamber that can be packed with botanicals.  The gin can pass through the chamber as a vapor to pick up flavors to give the gin the characteristic flavors. 

Formal gardens for event venues

We walked through the beautiful gardens that will once again host weddings, corporate gatherings and other events.  There is also a garden where herbs are grown to be used in the making of gin and flavored vodkas.  These gardens were so overgrown that the restoration crew didn't even know that there was a concrete pond at the center.  The over half century of neglect had nearly destroyed all of the structures that were once so elegant.  We continued to the huge brick rickhouse where the barrels of bourbon are stored.  They also store many barrels for other distillers to help make ends meet until the Castle and Key bourbon is ready to sell in about four years.  It was interesting to learn that the income from storing other distillers’ barrels ($2 per barrel per month) keeps the company in the black even before any bourbon is sold.  

Large brick rickhouse

Because time had done so much damage to the rickhouses, a lot of work had to be done to make it functional as a place to store bourbon for many years.  Although we were unable to enter it, we saw another large concrete rickhouse that had been gutted and all of the metal barrel racks had been sold for scrap.  New racks are being constructed for the facility that will return as a rickhouse once completed. 

We completed our tour in the bar area adjacent to the gift shop.  Our guide served mixed drinks to us made from Castle and Key gin and vodka since it will be several years before there is bourbon.  Although neither Greg nor I are fans of vodka and gin, we enjoyed the drinks.  We took a few photos on the way out and started the drive back to Huntington.  We stopped at Mount Sterling so Greg could get his Krystal Burger then we drove on to Owingsville near Morehead where we stopped at good local Mexican restaurant for dinner. 

Barrel ramp

We had a great day at Castle and Key.  Getting to spend a day with Greg was fun enough but getting to see the Old Taylor Distillery being brought back to life was a thrill.  We hope to come back for future tours as the renovations progress. 

Kentucky Bourbon Trail with Rex

I had some vacation days that I needed to use before the end of 2017 so I took off on the afternoon of Thursday, December 7 to drive to Central Kentucky to visit some nearby distilleries.  It was especially great that my friend of 40 years, Rex Dillinger, was able to make the visits with me. 

I picked up Rex at noon and we made the drive to Georgetown, Kentucky in a little over two hours.  Once there, we unloaded a few items at the house and walked around the property.  The weather was windy and cool but not uncomfortable in the sun.  We took a drive around the Georgetown area and stopped at the Royal Spring Park that was the site of Rev. Elijah Craig’s distillery.  The spring is now the source of city water for Georgetown residents.  The Bourbon 30 Distillery is across the street from the spring but since we were there after business hours, we were unable to visit and only looked into the windows. 

We drove around a bit more then met Emily at New Thai Garden in Georgetown.  Emily had her usual drunken noodle, I had my usual Pad Thai and Rex had yellow curry.  We all enjoyed our meals.  After dinner, Rex and I drove back to the Finnell Road house and chatted until around 9 pm before turning in.  Since there is no television or Internet at the house, we enjoyed talking and reading until we fell asleep.

We awoke early around 4 am and had a couple cups of tea and did a few things around the house.  Once the sun came up and we got hungry we grabbed a quick McDonald’s breakfast then stopped at Frank’s Donuts for a treat.  We drove south on I-75 then west on I-64 to the Four Roses Distillery.  Since the distillery was still under construction, we were unable to visit the operation but had a nice talk from a guide who shared the history of Four Roses with us and explained the 10 recipes that make up Four Roses bourbon.  We thought that it was especially interesting that Four Roses was one of the most popular bourbons in the 1930s and 1940s.  In fact, the iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on VJ Day shows a billboard for Four Roses in the background.  Because of the preference for Four Roses by American military personnel, the Japanese are a major market for Four Roses.

Since we didn’t take a full tour at Four Roses, we had some extra time so we drove the short distance to the Wild Turkey Distillery.  We were thrilled that Master Distiller, Jimmy Russell, in the visitor center.  I was able to chat with him for a good while and even took a few snapshots.  Jimmy is a legend in the bourbon industry and is such a great ambassador for bourbon.  We had been on a tour with his son, Eddie, in March 2015 but meeting Jimmy was a special treat.  We did the tour of the operations with our guide, Edwina, then came back to the visitor center for a tasting of several of Wild Turkey’s spirits.  The room with dozens of stainless steel fermentation tanks, each of which holds 30,000 gallons, was especially impressive.

From Wild Turkey we drove to the Old Taylor Distillery that was built in 1887.  The distillery is being refurbished to reopen as Castle and Key Distillery.  The building is an attractive structure modeled on castles that Col. Taylor saw while traveling in Europe.  We look forward to visiting the new distillery soon.  We also drove past the now closed Old Crow Distillery where Jim Beam Bourbon is now stored.  The historic rickhouses are still in good shape but the distillery building appears to be in ruins.

We made the short drive from Old Taylor to the Woodford Reserve Distillery.  We had scheduled a 1 pm tour but since we were running early, we were able to get a tour at 12:40.  The copper Scottish pot stills used at Woodford make a much lower volume of bourbon than the giant column stills at Wild Turkey.  We especially enjoyed the beautiful limestone rickhouses that date back to the 1830s.  Our guide took us through the fermentation room where cypress tanks holding 7,500 gallons convert corn, rye and malted barley into alcohol.  We visited the room with three copper pot stills that were imported from Scotland.  After our tour we sampled Woodford Distiller’s Select, Woodford Double Oaked and Woodford Rye.

After leaving Woodford, we drove to Town Branch Distillery and walked around the visitor center that is modeled on a street scene from Dublin, Ireland which was the home of Town Branch’s founder, Pearse Lyons.  We especially liked the highly lacquered finish on the storefronts.  We didn’t take a tour or do a tasting but chatted with a few people in the visitor center.

From Town Branch we drove to the Liquor Barn in Hamburg where we bought a few things including some Christmas presents.  We continued on to the nearby Woodcraft Store where Rex bought some screws for Kreg joints.  By then we were hungry and went to Zaxby’s for lunch.  We both had the 5 piece chicken meal which we both enjoyed.  After finishing our meal we make the two hour drive home.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail with Greg - Day 1

After teaching my evening class on Monday night, I picked up my pal, Greg, and got on the road by 7 pm to head for Georgetown for our fall distillery visits in Central Kentucky.  We were stopped on I-64 at exit 181 westbound because of an accident around mile marker 177 that had all westbound lane blocked.  We wound around US 60 for 12 miles at around 10 miles per hour for nearly two hours behind semi-trucks before getting back on the interstate at Grayson.  The rest of the drive through steady rain was uneventful.  We stopped for a late dinner in Morehead and arrived at the Finnell Pike house a little after 10 pm.  We took advantage of an abatement in the rain to unload a few items from the van.  We didn’t turn in until nearly 11 pm.

Because he was fighting bronchitis, Greg didn’t sleep well and had to sip Nyquil throughout the night.  The air mattresses were comfortable and we arose around 6 am.  Because of the cold morning air, I got up around 4 am to turn the heat on.  This was the first time that we tried the geothermal heat from the Water Furnace.  We were pleased that the central heat worked fine and warmed us up nicely.  However, the dust in the air ducts caused the smoke detector to go off around 5 am.  That was our cue to get out of bed and get dressed.

We ran out to McDonald’s at the Cherry Blossom exit for a quick breakfast.  After a quick stop by the house, we drove to Paris to visit the Hartfield & Co. Distillery.  The distiller, Andrew Buchanan, met us at the door and shared his love of the spirits that are being made at his small facility in an old Paris building.  Although Paris is the county seat of Bourbon County, Kentucky, no legal whiskey has been made in Bourbon County since prohibition.  Andrew wanted to change that.  Unlike most craft distillers, Andrew did not attend Moonshine University or understudy with another master distiller.  Rather, he read up on every distilling resource he could find.  He watched and learned from countless online videos to find best practices in distilling.  Andrew wanted to have the ability to experiment and be responsible for his products.  He and his wife, Larissa, didn’t want to make distilled spirits like anyone else, he wanted the freedom to make the mistakes and to have the successes on his own terms. 

Because a movie was being filmed at the Hartfield & Co. distillery, we were unable to tour the complete distillery.  However, Andrew was very generous with his time and explained a great deal of his philosophies on making the very best spirits he can make.  At this time Hartfield & Co. makes high rye bourbon, wheated bourbon, American whiskey, white whiskey, rum and aged rum.  Because of the disruption from the filmmakers we were unable to have a tasting.  Besides, I don’t know if we would be too interested in sipping whiskey at 9 am.  We left Andrew to his work and drove back through the beautiful horse farms of Bourbon County to the Finnell Pike property.

I walked Greg around the property lines and checked on our work clearing the brush from the tree line on the north end of the property.  The burn pile on the back field is starting to dry and should be ready to burn in a couple of weeks.  The field looks much better since the vines and brush have been cleared away and the debris has been loaded for the Scott County landfill.

Our afternoon distillery appointment wasn’t until 1 pm so we had a little time.  We drove to the Royal Spring in Georgetown where Rev. Elijah Craig built the first distillery in the area.  Rev. Craig, a Baptist minister, is reputed to have made the first bourbon and shipped it to New Orleans for sale.  Most historians have disputed that he was the first person to make bourbon but there is no debate that Rev. Craig was instrumental in the history of bourbon and in the founding of Georgetown, Kentucky which he maned for then president, George Washington.  

Royal Spring which now supplies drinking water for residents of Georgetown was flowing well, no doubt due to the recent rains in the area.  Because of the cool rainy weekday weather there were few people out that morning so we were free to walk about the small park surrounding the historical spring.  We walked across the street to the Bourbon 30 distillery.  We learning that there was a problem with the distillery’s license that prohibited them from conducting tours and visits for a few weeks.  The distillery looked interesting from the outside and we plan to visit on another trip to the area.  Because the late October morning was unseasonably cool in the mid 30s, I ran to the nearby Walmart to buy a knit cap.  I was a lot more comfortable with the additional warmth.  We stopped at Frank’s Donuts for a mid-morning snack.  I had my usual bear claw and Greg enjoyed the cream filled donut.  We were both pleased with our choices.

The drive to our next distillery visit near Shelbyville was a little over an hour drive from Georgetown.  The Jeptha Creed Distillery is a beautiful new facility just off the Taylorsville exit of Interstate 64.  Since we were a little early for our tour, we walked around the building and admired the owner’s displays of antique cars.  The cars are beautifully restored and many of them run.  The visitor center is well stocked with glasses, flasks, clothing and spirits with Jeptha Creed advertising.  We had to laugh at one of the men’s shirts with “Bourbon Badass” on the front.  We wondered just where that would be an appropriate shirt.  The visitor center and gift shop are among the most attractive we have ever seen.  A nice bar features snacks and a number of mixed drinks made with Jeptha Creed spirits.  

The distillery is on a large tract of land that was settled by Squire Boone, brother of famed frontiersman, Daniel Boone.  He named the area Jeptha Knob after the Israeli judge in the Old Testament book of Judges.  Most of the grains and fruits used in making the products used in Jeptha Creed spirits originate on or near property in Shelbyville owned by the Nethery family.

We met our tour guide, Brittany, who was a former professional wrestling ring girl.  She was very knowledgeable about the whiskey made by Jeptha Creed.  The family owned distillery makes bourbon and American whiskey from a four grain mash bill of corn, wheat, rye and malted barley featuring locally grown Bloody Butcher red corn.  They also make vodka from Bloody Butcher corn that is available straight as well as infused with a variety of flavors.  At the end of the tour, Brittany treated us to five samples each of the products of the distillery.  Greg and I both enjoyed our samples before walking around the grounds and seeing the event center where parties and weddings are held and a venue for concerts and entertainment.

We left Jeptha Creed and drove to Millville to drive past the Castle & Key Distillery at the site of the Old Taylor Distillery.  The structure, built in 1887, was designed by Col. E. H. Taylor inspired by historical castles that he saw on his travels through Europe.  The distillery has been shuttered and in a continued state of decay since ceasing production in 1972.  However, a group of investors bought the property in 2014 to turn into a state of the art distillery and event center.  The first female master distiller of a major distillery was found in Marianne Barnes and preparations were made to resume production.  The grounds are being given a major facelift to prepare the parklike distillery campus for hosting parties, weddings and corporate events.  We were pleased to see that the gardens are taking shape and much of the masonry is being repaired.  It was also exciting to see smoke coming from the distillery and to smell the scent of mash in the air.  We understand that the distillery is making white spirits to sell until bourbon can begin the long aging process.  The huge rickhouse appeared to be in good shape at least from the outside giving hope that bourbon will be again aging there.

After taking photos at Castle & Key, we drove the short distance to the former Old Crow Distillery.  The distillery and most buildings are in disrepair with weeds and vines growing on the limestone exterior walls.  One of the Old Crow rickhouses is being used to age Jim Beam bourbon.  We stopped briefly and savored the smell of the again whiskey coming from the barrels in the rickhouse.

We drove from the distilleries in Millville, Kentucky to Georgetown where we met Ian for dinner at Mi Casita, a Mexican restaurant across Rt. 25 from Ian and Emily’s home.  Since Emily was in Atlanta for a conference with the CDC, Ian was happy to have company for dinner. I had a pollo poblano which is strips of grilled chicken and poblano peppers covered in cheese sauce.  Ian had a chimichanga and Greg had a vegetarian platter.  We all enjoyed our meals.  We returned to the Finnell Pike house and chatted while Greg scanned for interesting channels on the shortwave radio.  Because we were so tired, we went to bed around 9 pm.