Old Shanghai

Because our internal clocks are still running on Eastern Time, we both awoke at 2 am this morning. I guess our brains still recognize it as 2 pm. We did some reading and watched the British CNN before showing and dressing to go to breakfast at the Shanghai Four Seasons Hotel at 6:30. We ate with a nice couple from Cincinnati. The breakfast was very good. There was a nice mix of American and Chinese traditional breakfast favorites. We especially liked the fruit selections although it took a while for us to recognize the cut dragon fruit. 

Shanghai Skyline

From breakfast we boarded thee buses to drive to the Huangpu River that divides old and modern Shanghai. Our guide, “Patrick” pointed out many of the buildings in both areas and their importance or history. Our group especially enjoyed the beautiful buildings in the Bund area that were built in the late 1800s when Shanghai was an important link between the East and West.  We watched the shipping traffic on the river then drove to the Old Shanghai Quarter where we went to the historic Yu Gardens. This area is only about 2 acres in size and didn’t have a lot of variety of flowers but had many carvings and rockeries. We admired the many carved stone figures, lions and dragons throughout the gardens and on the walls.

Zig zag bridge at Yu Gardens

Although small, the Yu Gardens were beautiful and interesting. We were struck by the zig zag paths, bridges and walkways. We later learned that Chinese traditional belief holds that evil forces are unable to go around sharp turns. Similarly, many of the buildings in the Yu Gardens as well as throughout older areas of China have a high threshold at the doors. This is because they believed the evil spirits could not get over this obstacle.

Rooftop dragon at Yu Gardens

After leaving Yu Gardens we walked around many of the shops in Old Shanghai. We stopped in a couple of tea shops and sampled the selections of tea being sold. Shanghai has a long history in the preparation and marketing of tea. We went to a shop selling silk clothing that is operated by the Chinese government. Silk also has been a major part of the Shanghai economy for centuries. This shop sells only the highest quality silk and is priced very high. Cindy picked up a couple of scarves but we were priced out of most items.

Hand embroidered red panda on silk

On the way to lunch we stopped at shop where hand silk embroidery is done on silk cloth. These beautiful images typically take months for the artist to create. Patrick told us that in the past young women of high social standing would do beautiful embroidery to demonstrate their suitability as a wife.  The silks were priced from $2000 to $10,000 US dollars which makes sense given the time and skill required. We did fine until Mary saw a hand embroidered red panda cub. It was priced at $5000 but the salesman said that we would come down on the price since the frame had a scratch on it. He said that a similar item from the same artist recently sold for nearly 70,000 Yuan which is about $10,000 US dollars. We considered the art but kept moving as she thought about it. When he offered it at $2400 including shipping we decided to make the purchase. We didn’t want it shipped until after October 2 since we will be here in China until then. Also, October 1-8 is a national holiday in China so it will be mid-October before it will ship. The little panda is pretty cute and will be a great addition to our new home.

Mary & Cindy shopping in Old Shanghai

We had a dim sum lunch that had many traditional Chinese foods. We especially liked the dumpling which is a bread or dumpling surrounding a bit of pork, There was rice, noodles, meats, soups and vegetables that were placed on a turntable in the center of our table so we could eat family style. Everyone enjoyed the meal.

After lunch we had some free time in Old Shanghai that we spent walking around and checking out local shops and attractions before taking the bus to the Shanghai Museum. Our guides, Patrick and Sissy, provided us with devices that we could use to tell us more about selected exhibit items in English by pressing buttons on the remote control sized devices. The museum was large with many rooms on each of the four floors. We decided to start in the jade room of the fourth floor where we saw ancient items made of jade that have been dated to be as much as 4000 years old. Ceremonial swords and disks called bi were carved of jade stone at a time when no metal tools were available. From the jade rooms we went to the furniture rooms and saw ornately carved and lacquered chairs, thrones, beds and other items made from exotic Asian, Indian and African woods like sandalwood, rosewood and ebony. There were also items that were finished with the red lacquer that is so unique to Chinese furniture. We realized that we were nearly at the end of the 90 minutes that we had available for the museum.

Steve & Mary on the bus in Shanghai

We caught out bus back to the Four Seasons for a brief rest and to prepare for the evening activity. Since we will be flying to Wuhan on Sunday we did some packing and preparing for the next week. We went to the hotel restaurant for dinner which was a lot of seafood, sushi and many other Chinese and western foods. For desert, I had a bowl of ice cream, a small scoop each of ginger and matcha which is a flavor from tea. Both were very good.

After dinner we went to the room to prepare for the evening activity, a show of Chinese acrobats at the Portman Ritz Carlton. The bus arrived at 7 pm and the show started promptly at the advertised time of 7:30. The acrobats were very talented and put on a great show. I guess we expected the kind of plate juggling stunts that our generation used to see on the Ed Sullivan show but there was a nice variety of comedy, romantic and artistic scenes that concluded promptly at 9 pm as scheduled. We kept nodding off during the show not because it wasn’t good but rather because we are off our sleep schedules.

We finalized our packing and put our bags out to be taken to the airport for our part of the trip that will be on the ship.

Arriving in China

We departed our home in Georgetown at 9 am for our 1:30 pm departure from Cincinnati airport. As we have done on prior trips from CVG, we used the OneStopParking through the Hilton Hotel near the airport. We arrived at the Hilton in less than an hour and caught the included shuttle to our gate at 10 am. We both made it through security quickly and easily and had our lunch at the gate after walking around the concourse several times. There are nice displays in the concourses from the Cincinnati Museum Center as well as beautiful photos of iconic Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky attractions. We knew that our flight would be long and we wanted to move as much as possible before we had to be confined to an airplane seat.

The connecting flight to Detroit departed and landed on time. We were surprised that the Detroit airport was rather small and appeared to serve only Delta flights. However, while the airport is generally small, the main concourse is extremely long. There is even an overhead train that transports passengers to stops within Concourse A. Since we had a 90 minute layover we walked through the long concourse A as well as much smaller B & C. We were very surprised that there were no displays for tourists on the industrial or music history of the city. We would have thought that a display of vintage cars or photos of early factories would be set up. About the only “Detroit thing” was that in the tunnel between concourses there was Motown music playing.

Our flight from Detroit to Shanghai departed on time for the over 13 hour trip over the North Pole. The aircraft was as comfortable as it could be for a flight of that length. Passengers were a mix of tourists, business people and Chinese nationals returning home. Meals on the flight were good having choices between American or Chinese dishes. The seatback screens offered a good variety of classic and newer movies. I watched Won’t you be my Neighbor?, Chappaquidick, and several others in addition to turning the language option to German to watch classics like Back to the Future

We arrived in Shanghai around 6:30 pm local time which was 6:30 am by our body clocks. Getting through entry to China was interesting. We had completed a through application for our tourist visas then filled out more forms at the airport. Coming through the entry we were photographed again and fingerprinted. Since this is for all non-Chinese citizens, it took a while to get through. One Asian woman ahead of Mary in line took forever to get an electronic scan of her fingerprints. We picked up our bags and quickly found the Viking representatives who took us to the bus carrying us from the airport across the city to our hotels. A quick stop in the bathrooms provided our first surprise in China. Although there were some western style toilets, most of the bathroom stalls were porcelain holes in the floor. There were symbols on the doors of the stalls identifying which kind of facility was in that stall. We made a note for future reference to look for the US toilets if possible in going to the bathrooms.

We were surprised to learn that Shanghai is the world’s second largest city with over 25 million residents. Another 10 million commute in from the surrounding area each day. With a total of 10 million residents, New York City is dwarfed by Shanghai.  As we drove in our guides pointed out local landmarks and attractions. We are anxious to see more of the city.

Our hotel, the Four Seasons, is a beautiful luxury downtown hotel. Our room on the 22nd floor is very nice, and the Whittingtons are just up on the 24th floor. Our guides told us to only drink bottled water in China using tap water only for washing. We meet our guide, Patrick, at 8 am on Friday for a tour of the city including the famous gardens. We are sorry that we will be unable to meet up with my former student, Keri, and her family while we are here but the schedule is just packed full.

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. 

Maker's Mark Ambassador Barrel

Special ambassador label

When we visited the Maker's Mark Distillery in May 2011 Emily and I decided to become Ambassadors. This gets us on the mailing list including a nice gift each year at Christmas for our Maker's Mark bottles. It also gets our names placed on a newly distilled barrel of Maker's Mark with an invitation to come to the distillery in a few years once the bourbon is sufficiently aged. 

Bill Samuels Jr.

This spring I happily received my "golden ticket" to come to Loretto, Kentucky to take a special heritage tour and to purchase and wax seal bottles from our barrel. After checking calendars and plans I invited my good friend, Rex Dillinger, to be my guest for the day at the distillery.

Ambassador seal in wax

We spent the night at our home in Georgetown before rising early to get some breakfast followed by a stop at Frank's Donuts.  We drove through the beautiful Kentucky countryside on a nice spring day toward Maker's Mark.  We were at the distillery in plenty of time for our 10 am tour and visited with several other guests who were also ambassadors whose barrels were being opened at about the same time as mine. 
What we didn't know is that our tour leader would be Bill Samuels, Jr., CEO of Maker's Mark and son of the founders of the brand.  We found Bill to be a great host with interesting stories of how is parents built the distillery following the repeal of prohibition including throwing out the recipe for the family's T. W. Samuels bourbon and starting over with a new recipe for a wheated bourbon.  Even the unique bottle and logo designs came from Bill's mother who had a vision for what Maker's Mark could become.  

Steve with Bill Samuels, Jr.

We were fascinated to learn that some of Samuels' ancestors were part of the gang that traveled with the James brothers.  In addition, some of his ancestors were part of the renegade guerrilla army led by William Quantrill during and after the American Civil War.  Bill told us that when Quantrill's men finally surrendered they chose to hand over their weapons in his family's living room.  He still has a pistol from the surrender which may have been the last weapon confiscated after the Civil War.  We were also interested in the cast of characters that frequented his home when he was a child.  Julian (Pappy) Van Winkle and Col. Harland Sanders were frequent guests and his godfather was Jim Beam.  

Barrels of Maker's Mark 46 receiving secondary aging

Bill took us through the fermentation vats and to the giant stills producing Maker's Mark.  In the bottling room his told us about how his parents struggled to get a wax for sealing the bottles that was just right.  As with other tours of Maker's Mark or any other distillery, the last stop is usually the tasting room.  The difference this time is that Bill shared how he oversaw the development of Maker's 46 which is secondarily aged with staves of French oak.  We also heard how he likes to drink his bourbon.  While all bourbon must be sold at least 80 proof, Bill says that he thinks that the flavors are best at around 70 proof so he adds a little water or ice.  He told us that high alcohol content will anesthetize the taste buds and prevent getting the full flavor profile of good bourbon.  
We enjoyed the generous samples of Maker's, Maker's 46 and cask strength versions of each as we listened to Bill's captivating stories of a lifetime in the bourbon industry.  

Steve dipping the top of an ambassador bottle in wax.

After our tastings, Rex and I picked up the bourbon from my barrel and dipped them in the characteristic red wax with assistance from the staff at the visitor center.  Because the bottles came from a special ambassador barrel, we were able to stamp the top of the wax with a special seal.  I picked up enough of the bottles for everyone back home including 4 for Cindy to take back to Oregon.  

Terracotta Army Invades Cincinnati

My birthday gift this year was a visit to the Cincinnati Art Museum with the entire family.  The special reason for the visit here was an exhibit on China's terracotta army.  The exhibit included over 120 period artworks as well as 10 of the life sized terracotta warriors.  

 We had seen a similar exhibit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis in September 2014.  Since this was in Cincinnati we had to go, especially since we will be at the site in China later this year. 
We are fascinated with the find of clay warriors, horses and chariots that were found in a farmer's field in the mid 1970s where they were hidden since they were made around 210 BC.  It is believed that there are over 8,000 soldiers and many hundreds of horses buried in the pits in China's Lintong District.  We loved looking at the differences in the features and faces of each warrior that are said to be unique from one to another and may have even resembled the appearance of one of the craftsman making the figure.  It is believed that nearly three quarters of a million people worked on making the soldiers, horses and chariots.  When the figures were placed in the pits it is believed that they were painted with bright colors that were typical of a human army of the time.  However, in the 2000 years of burial most of the paint has washed away from the figures.
All of this were done to honor the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang who founded the Qin Dynasty (pronounced "Chin") in 201 BC.  He ascended to the throne at the age of 13 and saw the size of his Chinese state expand greatly under his reign.  He ordered the fragments of wall structures found throughout much of China to be unified into what we now know as the Great Wall of China.  He also oversaw the construction of a network of roads that became a national transportation system. To assure the continued unification of China, he abolished feudalism and arranged the country into administrative units. He standardized units of measurements for the nation to assist trade and commerce within the country. Shortly after becoming emperor, he ordered the construction of a giant mausoleum that included the terracotta army.   There is speculation whether the 700,000 workers who built the tomb and warriors were paid workers or slaves but there is some agreement that everyone who worked on the tomb or knew where is is located was killed to preserve the secret.
We had a great day at the museum.  After walking through the terracotta army exhibit, we were entertained by Peter in the children's play area of the museum.  I can't think of a better birthday than to spend the day with my family and to visit an exhibit on the fascinating aspect of ancient Chinese history.
We stopped by Jungle Jim's on the way home to get a bag of our favorite tea then on to Georgetown to drop off Ian and Emily.

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 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.