Kentucky Moonshine Trail – Day 2

On the first day of our trek for the Kentucky Moonshine Trail we visited five of the nine stops. We planned to visit two stops today and two next Monday. On our way to Kentucky Mountain Moonshine in Ravenna, we stopped at Sam’s Club in Lexington. We needed a few grocery items for us as well as some large cans of green beans for church to serve at The Gathering Place Mission. The morning was cool for June, and we had packed a cooler so our purchases would be cool throughout the day.

Howard Arvin with a column still

We drove south on I-75 to Richmond where we drove to Ravenna in Estill County. At the Kentucky Mountain Moonshine Distillery, we were met by Howard Arvin and his wife. After throwing a ball for his dog we came into the distillery to see where Howard works his magic. Their place is an old white frame house that has been repurposed to serve as a visitor center and distillery. Howard told us a lot about the area and the history of moonshine. As a retired dentist in the area, he has extensive knowledge of Estill County. Water for the distillery comes from a well on the property and feeds one of three column stills or a small pot still. Howard is very knowledgeable regarding the chemistry of distillation and is super caution to assure that only the best distillates from his stills are made available to visitors.

The Arvins at their tasting area

After spending time in the still room, Howard’s wife prepared several drinks for us including a pickle juice moonshine drink which wasn’t our favorite. However, the peach moonshine with fresh peaches was outstanding. I purchased the smokey vanilla bean corn moonshine. Howard ages the corn moonshine in a jar with charred oak blocks then transfers the moonshine to another jar with vanilla beans for a second aging. I thought it would be very good mixed with Ale 8-1. Mary bought a cranberry flavored moonshine that she found very tasty.

Column stills at Kentucky Mountain Distillery

Howard invited us back to hike some of the trails on his property behind the distillery. We left the distillery feeling like we had made friends of the Arvin family and respect their skill in producing distilled spirits.

After leaving Ravenna, we drove the short distance to the Menards home center in Richmond, Kentucky. Our home water heater failed on Tuesday morning and Menards has the best prices on water heaters as well as the plumbing parts we would need to install the new tank in our basement. Menards had everything we needed, and we were pleased with the price that we paid and look forward to the 11% rebate offered by Menards.

Leaving Menards, we drove to Barrel House Distilling in the old distillery district in Lexington. We had been to Barrel House many times since our first visit there in 2014. Like other moonshine distilleries, Barrel House is a small operation but has a nice bar connected. The bar seems to do a brisk business with visitors in the popular area. The staff at the Barrel House visitor center were very personable and pleasant. We chatted about our previous visits to the distillery as they stamped our passports. One of the tour guides was telling us about a planned expansion to a location near Cynthiana that would be a much larger facility that could produce more spirits and accommodate more visitor groups. I asked if they would be needed tour guides when another guide there said that her husband is the head distiller and would love to have me work there part time. I took his contact information and promised to contact him soon with my inquiry about working at the distillery.

Barrel House Distillery

After leaving Barrel House, we drove the short distance home and unloaded the pickup with the water heater and plumbing. I will do the water heater installation on Thursday afternoon when I get home from volunteering at McConnell Springs Park and attending the board meeting at the Scott County Cooperative Extension Office.

We plan to visit the final two stops in the Kentucky Moonshine Trail on Monday. Hopefully our friend Greg can meet us for the visit in South Williamson. We also hope to meet our friend, Jenny, for lunch after the visit to Pauley Hollow Distillery. We hope to stop at Butcher Holler in Van Lear, Kentucky on the way home for the final optional stop in the passport.

Visit from Dillingers

We were very pleased to have our lifelong friends, Rex and Natalie Dillinger along with their older son, Ben, come to visit us at our Georgetown, Kentucky home.  This is the first visit from our WV friends since my retirement on December 20.  We value our friendship with the Dillingers and were very pleased that they came to see us.  Rex had been to our house on several prior occasions including helping us to complete our move here in August 2018.  However, neither Natalie nor Ben had been here before,  We hope to have them come more regularly.

Mary fixed a great dinner of huge grilled pork chops and baked potatoes followed by a choice of Christmas goodies.  Everyone enjoyed the meal and catching up.  

After dinner we decided to go for a drink at Country Boy Brewing, a very popular craft beer producer in the area.  We each had flights of four beers from the dozens of selections available.  We not only sampled our own four choices but those of others at the table.  I think that we all eventually found a beer or cider that suited our tast best.  The bar area was busy but not crowded and, since there was no live band that night, it was possible to hold a conversation at our table.

Ben, Rex and Natalie Dillinger at Buffalo Trace

The next morning after a breakfast of ham, cheese and spinach omlets, we drove the 45 minute trip to Buffalo Trace Distillery.  We had been here many times since one of their signature bourbons (Eagle Rare) is one of our favorites and the tour guides are interesting and engaging providing guests with a memorable experience.  When we arrived we were surprised to see a huge crowd waiting outside the visitor center.  We learned that several limited bourbons, including Blanton'sReserve, were being released and that most people were waiting in line to purchase one or more bottles.  Once we make it to the desk to sign up for the tour we went to the side porch to meet our guide.  We were very fortunate to have Freddie Johnson as the guide.  He is a third generation employee of Buffalo Trace and has worked here for most of his life.  Freddie knows Buffalo Trace better than anyone and is by far the most popular guide.  

Freddie Johnson

Freddie told us about the history of Buffalo Trace before, during and after Prohibition and how Buffalo Trace was one of the few distilleries designated as a supplier of medicinal whiskey during Prohibition.  We watched the movie on Buffalo Trace's process and products then walked the short distance to the experimental rickhouse.  I always look forward to the smell inside a bourbon rickhouse.  The aroma of the bourbon that leaks from the barrels and the aging charred whire oak is just a pleasing smell.  

We walked over to the Blanton's bottling facility and saw Blanton's Reserve being hand bottled and labeled.  We saw the prized horse stoppers being added to the bottles and even saw some of the Blanton's Reserve Gold being prepared for sales abroad. 

As always, our tour concluded in the tasting room where we could choose from many of Buffalo Trace's spirits.  We all tried samples from their offerings and, of course, the most popular was the bourbon cream, especially with the bourbon chocolate candy.  Ben bought a few nosing and rocks glasses from the Buffalo Trace gift shop as we were leaving.

Blanton's Reserve being bottled

Our group split up after leaving Buffalo Trace with Mary and Natalie going to the shops in Midway and Georgetown.  They enjoyed walking through the boutiques and local stores then getting lunch at Josie's between Georgetown and Lexington.  

Rex, Ben and I stopped at Grime's Chicken for lunch.  We all got the spicy chicken tenders with our choice of side.  My small container of red beans and rice was quite good and the three huge servings of spicy coated chicken for under $5 was a bargain,  We took our meals across the street to Douglas Park where we sat on a picnic table and appreciated the beautiful day for late December.  Ben didn't expect the chicken pieces to be so large so he ordered a six piece lunch was hardly able to finish his meal.  

We signed up for the brewery and distillery tour at Town Branch and browsed the attractive gift shop while we awaited the start of our tour.  This visitor center is one of the more attractive on the Bourbon Trail.  The new building houses a recreation of an Irish street scene with highly lacquered storefronts housing shelves of Town Branch products.  

Fermenters at Town Branch

Our tour started in the brewery area by looking at the grains that are used in producing the many beers that are made here.  Their most popular beer is Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale which is aged in used bourbon barrels after brewing but before bottling.  In the beer tasting room we were able to choose from among the stouts, porters, ales and other offerings.  Our knowledgeable guide gave us a lot of background on the ingredients and production of each beer.

Pot stills at Town Branch

From there we started the distillery tour where we learning about the production of the bourbons, gins, rums and Irish style whiskies made at Town Branch.  We went through the area where giant fermentation tanks hold the grains during alcohol production then to the Scottish pot stills that refine the low alcohol liquid into spirits that will be aged and sold.  We learned that the newly distilled whisky that will become bourbon is stored at rented rickhouse space at the old E. H. Taylor Distillery, now Castle and Key. 

Tasting room at Town Branch

As with most distillery visits, the trip concludes with a tasting.  We all appreciated our sips of the spirits made at Town Branch.  Our final drink was Bluegrass Sundown, a sweetened coffee and whisky concentrate that is served hot with a layer of heavy cream. 

We browsed the gift shop at Town Branch where Ben picked up another specialty glass then drove the short distance to Lexington’s historic DistilleryDistrict.  This area had fallen into disuse for many years until a revitalization project brought some small local restaurants, craft breweries and distilleries back to the area.  One of the first to come was Barrel House, a very small operation that produces rum, moonshine and bourbon.  Their total operating space is no larger than a four car garage at least half of which is the gift shop.  I had been here many times before and since time was running short, we decided to limit our visit to a peek into the fermentation and distillation area through the open door.

James Pepper Distillery

We went a few yards away to the James Pepper Distillery hoping for a tour but the operation was closed for the holidays.  This distillery is a revived distillery that had been in operation at this location from the late 1800s until the late 1950s when the bourbon industry’s sales were in a major slump.  The facility had fallen into disrepair for over 50 years when restoration began to reopen as a distillery.  We looked in the windows and planned to return when the facility is open and available for tours. 

After leaving Lexington’s Distillery District, we decided to return to our Georgetown home via 460 to see some of the attractive horse farms along the route.  Although the day was cloudy, the weather was warm and made for a nice day of sightseeing.  We had a brief visit at the house then the Dillingers started for home.  We hope that they will visit again soon.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail with Greg - Day 2

 As the morning before, we woke early and chatted in the kitchen of the Finnell Pike house as the sun came up. Sunrise and sunset are really pretty at the house. We packed our things and prepared the house for being empty for a few days. Since I would be back on Saturday I didn’t leave the furnace on. Our first distillery visit was at Barrel House which didn’t open until 11 am. We decided to make a stop at Liquor Barn to shop for gifts and to restock our bourbon shelves. I bought a few bottles of Buffalo Trace Bourbon as well as Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream as gifts. I picked up a bottle of Jack Daniels as a gift for a friend and a bottle of Old Granddad 114 for me. Greg got a 1.75 L bottle of 1792 at a great price. We still had a little time before our 11 am tour at Barrel House Distillery so Greg suggested that we find a bakery. We drove on Southland Drive and spotted Donut Days Bakery. Greg had another cream filled donut and I had an apple fritter. We both enjoyed our selections. 

We arrived at Barrel House a little before their 11 am opening. We were met by two of the distillery’s operators and Snuggie, the distillery cat. I had been there a couple of times before but the tour is interesting every time. The distillery is operating in the barrel house of the old Pepper Distillery in Lexington. The building was constructed in 1936 as used as a distillery until the late 1970s. The Barrel House distillery currently makes Devil John Moonshine, corn based vodka, rum, aged Oak Rum and Rockcastle Bourbon. They also sell a good selection of bitters, moonshine cherries and other gift items. The facility is small but the passion of the distillers is evident. We stopped at Zaxby’s for lunch since we were in the mood for chicken and we had never been to Zaxby’s. The chicken was fine and the restaurant was busy. The pop machine made a terrible racket that we feared would explode. After a while the machine settled down and conversation in the restaurant could resume. 

It wasn’t far to the Bluegrass Distillers facility in Lexington. We had purchased a Groupon for the tour which gave us both a tour for $9 which is less than half price. The distiller took us through the grain area where the ground blue corn is stored then to the mash tubs with IBCs of fermenting grain and water. The nearby cooker steamed with stewing ground blue corn that would be cooled and set to ferment with yeast. The fermentation room smelled great. The single copper still produces all of the distilled spirits made by Bluegrass Distillers. 

 We tasted some of the 160 proof distillate coming off the still and found it to be surprisingly drinkable. This smooth white dog would sneak up on you. Since it was not rough at all it would be tempting to drink more than advisable. We saw small five gallon barrels of aging whiskey some of which was made from blue corn. Bluegrass Distillers makes several mash bills including one with rye, one with wheat and one with blue corn. They also experiment with malted barley spirits and other recipes that may appeal to whiskey drinkers. 

After having a tasting of generous samples of each of Bluegrass Distiller’s products we were treated to a small bourbon cake to take home to our wives. We left Bluegrass Distiller’s around 1 pm and headed home. The return trip was far easier and faster than the drive to Central Kentucky. We arrived at Greg’s home around 3:30 pm. I went into work for a couple of hours including a meeting to revise the assessment tool for student teaching and other clinical experiences. We were both tired but pleased to have had another great trip.

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.

Kentucky Craft Spirits Trail - Day 3

We awoke early at the Bardstown Hampton Inn and went to the lobby for a nice breakfast. There were eggs, biscuits, bacon and a good selection of fresh fruit. We took a drive around Bardstown as we left enjoying the beautiful small historic town. It is impressive that the buildings there are mostly original but all are now occupied by interesting small local shops that attract locals and tourists to the restaurants, coffee shops and antique stores. There is an area just outside of town with strip malls and chain restaurants but the downtown area of Bardstown has remained a vibrant historic community. People in Bardstown are very friendly, knowing the importance of tourism to their economy. Even the air in Bardstown smells great. As the wind direction changes, the aroma of fermenting grain wafts through the town adding to the atmosphere of the town.

As we left town, we stopped at the Subway near the Hampton Inn and bought two 6” Black Forest Ham subs for lunch.  Since Subway has the buy one, get one free deal this month, we had our lunch for both of us for $3.75.

We arrived at Barton's 1792 Distillery before they opened at 9 am. We like the 1792 bourbon even though it has more rye in the mashbill than we typically like. It is reasonably priced and is very good for sipping or mixing in juleps or old fashioneds. A group of about 10 people had assembled in time for the first tour by 10 am. We opted to not take a tour this time since we had a private tour when we visited Barton's in March 2011. When we were at Barton's three years ago, Mary, Emily and I were the only ones there for a tour so we had a private walk through the plant. At that time, we were impressed with the variety of products that are produced or bottled in Bardstown thanks to Barton's role in their parent company, Sazarac. This year, we walked around the gift shot, took some snapshots and left for the Willett Distillery nearby.

The Willett Distillery is on Loretto Road just a mile or so from Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center.  When we arrived a little before 10 am, there were a number of people gathering in the parking lot.  We learned that a group of officials from the bourbon industry were meeting at Willett on Friday.  We browsed the gift shop at Willett and arranged for our tour of the distillery.  Two other couples were on the tour with us. 

We started by seeing where the grain comes in and is stored.  We learned that the corn and wheat used at Willett are Kentucky grown but the rye is shipped in.  The ground grains are mixed in the proper proportion for the spirit they are making then the mash is cooked to begin the process to convert the grain starches into fermentable sugars.  After about three days in the stainless steel fermentation tubs the alcohol content of the mash reaches about 10%.  The grain solids are filtered out and are sold to area farmers and the liquids are sent to the stills for alcohol extraction.  We tasted mash at one, two and three days of fermentation and noticed a distinct difference in the appearance and taste of each.  While the mash that is newly fermenting had a taste like cornbread, the three day old mash has a distinct flavor of sour mash.  The copper pot still used at Willett is a thing of beauty.  In fact, the bottle for Willett’s signature product, Willett Pot Still Reserve is made to resemble the distillery’s copper pot still.

While we were admiring the still, the master distiller came out to meet us.  He got each of us a glass and drew a generous sample of “white dog” from the still’s try box.  We were very hesitant to sample the unaged fresh whiskey since we have had white dog in the past and found it to be rough and unpleasant causing an intense burn in the mouth, through and stomach.  

We were surprised, however, that the white dog from Willett was actually very pleasant despite being about 130 proof.  When asked why the Willett white dog was so much easier to drink than other distilleries’ raw product, the distiller said that the water, mashbill and the slow distillation process all contribute to the pleasant nature of the unaged white dog.

We looked out at the small lake at Willett where the limestone water used to make the bourbon and rye whiskey is stored.  In addition, water from this lake cools the condensing spirits in the final stages of distillation. 

After leaving the still area, we saw where new white oak barrels are filled with over 50 gallons of white dog that will age in one of Willett’s rickhouses.  Willett uses barrels made by Independent Stave Company.  We learned that barrels made in Lebanon, Kentucky have band rivets stamped with a K or Y.  Those barrels made by Independent Stave Company’s Lebanon, Missouri factory have rivets marked with an M or O.   Our guide told us that spirits are taxed based on the quantity of liquid added to the barrels at the beginning of the aging process.  This is significant since spirits given a long aging may lose half of the quantity by the time the barrel is emptied and bottled.  Over 60% of the cost of a bottle of bourbon is tax.

Once filled, the barrels have a popular bung hammered into place to seal the cask.  If the barrel will be stored in the rickhouse adjacent to the filling it is rolled to the rickhouse on a set of steel rails.  Otherwise it is trucked to one of Willett’s nearby rickhouses for aging.

Willett’s rickhouses have barrels with a variety of logos depending on the DBA that the company was using at the time the spirit was casked.  Some barrels are identified as Willett but others were labeled as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers.  Until somewhat recently, spirits marketed by Willett were made by other distilleries.  Now the family owned distillery makes all of their spirits at the Bardstown distillery.

After leaving the rickhouses, we returned to the visitor center for a sampling of Willett’s products.  The first thing we tried was Johnny Drum Bourbon.  This is a great value bourbon selling at retail for less than $15 for a 750 ml bottle.  However, the bourbon is quite good although a little too high in rye for our tastes. It would be an excellent mixer where the rye would come through the tastes of the mixers well.  We also tasted the Noah’s Mill and Rowen’s Creek Bourbons, both of which were very good.  Willett’s signature product, the Willett Pot Still Reserve was excellent in our opinion.  This is a wheated bourbon and lacked the peppery taste of high rye mashbills.  Like other Willett products, the Pot Still Reserve is attractively priced and is a good value.  Willett also makes a few rye whiskeys that are each well reviewed.

The drive to Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky was only about a 20 minute drive from Willett.  We took advantage of the drive to eat our sub sandwiches that we purchased that morning.  When we arrived at the distillery we were shocked to learn that the parking lot was filled.  Tour groups of 25-30 people were leaving the visitor center every 15 minutes.  We learned that the wait for a tour was over an hour so we decided to not tour on this trip.  I suppose the recent increase in the popularity of bourbon, the holiday weekend and the beautiful weather all combined for bringing large crowds to the large distillery.

We had toured Marker’s Mark several time in the past so we didn’t feel that we would miss anything by not taking the tour this time.  We enjoy Maker’s Mark since, as a wheated whiskey, it has a sweet flavor with no burn.  Maker’s Mark also mixes as well as it goes as a sipping whiskey.  They also make a double aged product, Maker’s Mark 46 that, after aging several years in a new white oak barrel, is recasked in a French oak barrel where it goes through a second again.  We actually prefer the regular Maker’s Mark but both are quality bourbons.  Emily and I are both registered as Maker’s Mark Ambassadors.  As such, we receive cards, offers and gifts from the distillery several times a year.  In addition, our names have been placed on a barrel of aging Maker’s Mark.  We can monitor our barrel’s aging process with our ambassador log in and will be invited to the distillery to participate in opening our barrel and will be able to purchase bottles for bourbon from our barrel.

Upon leaving Maker’s Mark, we took the short drive to Lebanon, Kentucky.  We drove along a beautiful small stream that flowed down riffles over limestone shelves.  When we arrived at Limestone Branch Distillery, we were met by owner and distiller, Steve Beam. 

Steve comes from a long line of bourbon royalty on both sides of his family.  His mother was a Dant, descended from J. W. Dant who settled in Kentucky’s Cumberland Gap area in the 1830s making whiskey in a log still with a copper pipe.  The Dant Distillery made a number of whiskey brands including J. W. Dant and Yellowstone.  The Dant Distillery even produced and sold whiskey during prohibition for “medicinal purposes” only.  Steve’s bourbon ancestry on his father’s side goes back to Jacob Boehm, great grandfather of Jim Beam.  Jacob started distilling operations in Kentucky in 1795 after immigrating from Germany.  In that time, members of the Beam family have been represented in nearly every Kentucky distillery.

Steve could not have given us a warmer reception.  He greeted us as if we were family and made us feel welcome at Limestone Branch.  Steve took us through his small but efficient operations where he produces excellent moonshine whiskey.  Steve’s basic recipe, T. J. Pottinger Sugar Shine is a 100 proof spirit that is made from 50% corn and 50% sugar to yield a moonshine that is 50% alcohol.  Unlike some distillers, Steve doesn’t cook the corn mash, telling us that the sugar contributes to all of the alcohol production in his moonshine and that the corn only provides flavor and complexity.  He showed us the mash fermenting in the oak barrels in his distillery some of which had a portion of blue corn in the mash to explore other possibilities for the spirits.

Steve showed us his stills including the copper pot still where he makes the basic moonshine recipes that have been passed down for generations of moonshiners in Kentucky and the surrounding states.  He also showed us the still where Tim Smith makes his Climax Moonshine.  Steve has mentored Tim in his conversion from an illegal moonshiner to a legal distiller of corn whiskey.  Tim and Steve were featured in several episodes of the Discovery Channel television show, Moonshiners.  Steve took great pains to help Tim negotiate the complex laws, regulations and procedures surrounding liquor production.  Tim named his moonshine for his home community of Climax, Virginia.

After a demonstration of the stills, Steve showed us how he blends fruits into the moonshine for his strawberry, cherry and blackberry moonshine.  He also ages some of the moonshine in used bourbon barrels to give the moonshine a hint of bourbon flavor and color.  We were anxious to go to the tasting room where Steve treated us to a sample of the T. J. Pottinger Sugar Shine.  Like other moonshine we sampled on the trip, we expected it to be harsh and rough.  My previous experience with drinking moonshine could be likened to swallowing a porcupine.  However, the T. J. Pottinger’s Sugar Shine was easy to drink and had a pleasing corn taste.  The shine tingled the tongue and warmed all the way down.  We liked the apple pie and blackberry flavors but were intrigued with the Moon Pie Moonshines.  We were skeptical of a moonshine flavored like Moon Pie, especially since chocolate, vanilla and banana options were available.  Steve uses natural flavors like cacao and Madagascar Vanilla to give the moonshine a great Moon Pie taste.  We were convinced that Moon Pie Moonshine was a hit.

We went to the gift shop and purchased a bottle of T. J. Pottinger’s Sugar Shine and a Mason jar of Chocolate Moon Pie Moonshine.  Steve signed both of our purchases for us as we chatted.  It was obvious that Steve Beam’s connection to the bourbon industry is not just from his family heritage in Kentucky bourbon.  He obviously has a love of what he does and a desire to produce the highest quality product he can make.  Being a craft distiller, he is very connected to his customer base and knows the importance of putting the hard work into his spirits.  As we were leaving, Steve wished us well and gave us directions to Independent Stave Company nearby.

As we walked from the parking lot of Independent Stave Company, we saw a sign that the factory was closed this afternoon for the Easter weekend.  However, we were still able to take a tour of the plant.  In fact, the tour of the factory was probably better with production stopped since we were better able to see the machinery used to produce the barrels that store bourbon and many other products.  We were prohibited from taking photos or videos in the factory since the company didn’t want overseas manufacturers to obtain information on the mechanisms to produce water tight oak barrels.

Most barrels made by Independent Stave Company are the typical 53 gallon white oak barrels that are used by the bourbon distillers in the area.  ISC barrels from their Lebanon, Kentucky or Lebanon, Missouri factories are used by nearly every US bourbon and whiskey maker.  One notable exception are the Brown-Forman companies (Jack Daniels, Canadian Club, Woodford Reserve) who use barrels from the Brown-Forman cooperage.  Bourbon isn’t the only thing stored in ISC barrels.  Used bourbon barrels often go to Scotland for aging Scotch or to Tennessee for whiskey.  Used bourbon barrels are even used on Avery Island, Louisiana to age Tabasco Sauce.

Independent Stave Company receives white oak logs which are quarter sawn and cut to length for barrel staves.  The rough staves are placed to the radius of the barrel and tapered to the correct profile.  The staves are arranged in temporary hoops by expert coopers who then send the barrels to a steaming area for about 40 minutes to soften the staves in preparation for bending.  After coming out of the steam chamber, powerful hydraulics are used to pull the staves together tightly.  The temporary hoops are replaced by six steel hoops that will hold the staves tightly.  Rivets connect the hoops at the stave where the bung will be located. 

The barrel heads are assembled from white oak planks and held only by the friction of tongue and groove joints.  No glues or adhesives are used in making a barrel.  The heads are cut to the circular shape to fit in the barrel to make a watertight seal.

Once assembled, the barrels are passed through a natural gas flame to char the inside of the barrels.  Each bourbon manufacturer has unique specifications for their barrels but most want a number 3 or number 4 char which are the deepest burn levels available in the barrels.  The barrel heads are charred with a wood fire fueled by scraps of wood from other processes at the factory.

A bung is drilled into the barrels so product can be added then the barrels are pressure tested to assure that there are no leaks and that the casks are watertight.  Since bourbon is taxed when it enters the barrel, distillers want to make certain that the precious spirits do not leak from the barrel.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the production at Independent Stave Company is the full utilization of everything that enters the factory.  Waste bark from the logs and sawdust from cutting and shaping goes to make hardwood mulch that is sold by the factory.  Scraps of wood fuels the charring of the barrel heads.  Excess wood scrap is given to employees for kindling in their wood stoves at home.  End users of the barrels often return damaging or leaking barrels to ISC for repair.

We had an excellent visit to Independent Stave Company and will plan to come by again when we are in the area to see the plant in operation.

We headed to Danville, Kentucky to tour Wilderness Trace Distillery there.  Danville is another interesting little Kentucky town, in some part because of Centre College.  As a small liberal arts college, Centre College has an excellent academic and service reputation.  The presence of the college in the town gives it a literate and youthful feel.  Like Bardstown, Danville has any small shops and eateries in the historic old buildings for students and the community to enjoy.

We were met at Wilderness Trace Distillery by master distiller, Shane Baker who gave us a tour of the facility.  The parent company is a biotech company that has been a producer of industrial ethanol as well as Neutral Grain Spirits for other distilleries.  In addition, they produce, store and archive yeast strains for many distilleries.  Wilderness Trace has been making their own brands only a short time. 

Shane showed us the fermentation areas and the production stills.  Unlike many distillers who use natural gas flame or steam to power their stills, the stills at Wilderness Trace are powered by hot water.  Shane says that this gives a more controlled heat that produces a more consistent spirit.  Since the company’s roots are in biotechnology, the atmosphere at Wilderness Trace seemed to have a more scientific feel than the production at other craft distilleries.

After touring the facilities, Shane took us to the tasting room where we sampled their Blue Heron Vodka.  They make the vodka from locally grown wheat and distil the spirits to 190 proof before diluting down to 80 proof.  Unlike other rums which are made from fermented cane sugar, Wilderness Trace Harvest Rum is made by fermenting molasses made in Winchester, Kentucky from locally grown sorghum.  Following distillation, the rum is briefly aged in used bourbon barrels for color and flavor.  Wilderness Trace has started making their Settler’s Select Bourbon by the sweet mash process.  Most bourbon is made with the sour mash process in which a small quantity of mash from a nearly mature mash is added to a newly started mash.  This “set back” gives a sour flavor to the mash and creates an environment that is favorable to certain fermenting microbes.  No set back is added to the mash for Settler’s Select Bourbon making the mash less sour and a higher pH that permits different fermentation microbes.

Although it will be some time before Settler’s Select Bourbon will be available, Shane promised to reserve a bottle from one of the first barrels for us.  It will be interesting to compare the sweet mash bourbon to the traditional sour mash bourbons.

We had originally planned to spend Friday night in Danville then to go to Wild Turkey and Four Roses on Saturday.  Since it was only 3 pm, we considered our options.  We kept thinking about how crowded Maker’s Mark was at 11 am and how the pretty the holiday weekend was.  We figured that the two large distilleries we had planned to visit would be very crowded on Saturday.  The decision to come back home on Friday night was an easy one.  We thought we would visit Barrel House Distillery in Lexington then meet up with Emily and Ian for dinner before coming home.

We made the mistake of attempting to come into Lexington on Nicholasville Road.  What a nightmare.  Traffic on Nicholasville Road at rush hour is crazy.  It took us forever to get from Nicholasville to Barrel House Distillery.  We were certain that we would not make it by the 5 pm closing time at the distillery but we eventually pulled into the parking lot at 4:50 pm.

Barrel House Distillery is located just off Old Frankfort Pike near the McConnell Springs Historic Site.  Although the front door was closed, we were beckoned inside by operations manager, Noah Brown.  Noah was manipulating the temperature of the copper pot still as he monitored the alcohol level of the spirits coming out of the condenser.  As he worked the still, he told us about Barrel House’s spirits and plans for the distillery’s future.  As with other startup distillers, unaged spirits are being produced and sold while the aged products are being stored.  

Noah looked like a moonshiner of generations ago as he turned the gas flame up and down under the still and took a tiny sip of the moonshine as the still operated.  Once the still was running to his satisfaction, Noah took us into the visitor center for a sample of their products.  Oak Rum is aged in used bourbon barrels to impart a woody flavor and an amber color to the rum.  The Pure Blue Vodka is a nice sweet clear vodka made from Kentucky corn and water.  Barrel House’s Devil John Moonshine is named for one of the owner’s relatives who was a Civil War veteran and moonshiner.  The bourbon being made by Barrel House is aging and isn’t yet ready to be bottled and sold.

The vodka and rum were very nice and had a pleasant flavor.  Neither of us cared much for the Devil John Moonshine.  It was very reminiscent of moonshine whiskey made in the hills and hollows of Appalachia generations ago.  It was a little rough for our tastes.  Mary purchased a jar of cherries preserved in Devil John Moonshine to put in Emily’s Easter basket.

We got back on New Circle Road after leaving Barrel House and drove to Harrodsburg Road where we went to the Liquor Barn.  We bought a bottle of Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream for Gran and some Johnny Drum for one of Mary’s work friends.

As we were leaving the parking lot of Liquor Barn, Emily called to tell us that Butt Rubb’In Barbecue was closed.  We really like the brisket there and hope that they are closed for the weekend and that they will be back open again soon.  Since traffic was bad and Emily & Ian were already out, they suggested German food at Marikka’s Restaurant across Southland Drive from Butt Rubb’In.  We started with appetizers of Kartoffelpuffer which are excellent potato pancakes.  Mary and Ian had large servings of goulash.  Emily had Rahmschnitzel which is a breaded veal cutlet covered in a creamy sauce and served with fried potatoes and green beans.  I had Jaegerschnitzel which is a pork cutlet with mushrooms served with red kraut.  Everyone enjoyed the meal.

We enjoyed seeing Ian & Emily for the meal and look forward to them coming home for Easter in a couple of days.  We left Lexington at 7 pm and arrived back at home by 9:30.  We were both tired and turned in to rest.  Today, like the other days of the trip, was beautiful, sunny and warm.  We were very fortunate to have had such great spring weather for our trip.
Although we were unable to visit all of the distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the Craft Spirits Trail, we were able to stop by most of them.  We will plan another trip to the area soon to visit the ones we were unable to visit this week.

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