A guest blog post by Tracy
As we’d yet to visit the state of Kentucky, we flew to Louisville this past March for what would turn out to be a fun‐filled weekend in the Bluegrass State.
Louisville has a ton to offer, including (of course!) Churchill Downs, the site of the world-famous Kentucky Derby held each year on the first Saturday in May. There were no live races during our time there, but we visited the Kentucky Derby Museum (including an amazing 360-degree film, “The Greatest Race”), took part in a 30-minute historic walking tour of the grounds, and even enjoyed our first Mint Juleps!
As people who LOVE to eat, we were pretty thrilled with Louisville’s food scene. We dined at some great spots, including Jack Fry’s (which dates back to the 1930’s), Butchertown Grocery (their brunch was both creative and delicious) and The Brown Lobby Bar (If you’ve never had a Hot Brown, stop what you’re doing and get there ASAP!). Additionally, we had some excellent cocktails at some very cool bars, such as the Old Seelbach Bar inside the Seelbach Hilton (where F. Scott Fitzgerald may or may not have begun writing the Great Gatsby on a cocktail napkin), and the very quirky Proof on Main located inside the 21c Museum Hotel.
Since Kentucky is obviously Bourbon Country, it seemed like a no-brainer that we should take part in a day of tasting, and ultimately chose a full-day tour with Mint Julep Tours. As predominantly wine drinkers, we were excited at the prospect of expanding our horizons a bit.
We began our day early, meeting our guide at The Galt House in downtown Louisville at 7:45 a.m. After boarding the bus promptly at 8 a.m. (along with 18 other thirsty guests), we began our journey. Along the way, our guide made sure we were all well-educated as to what makes bourbon, well, bourbon. In short, it must be produced in the United States, made from at least 51% corn, be aged in new oak barrels and be at least 80 proof when bottled.
Our first stop would be Woodford Reserve, in Versailles, Kentucky, about an hour’s drive from Louisville. Once we turned off the main road, several beautiful horse farms came into view, which completely met my picturesque expectation of bucolic Kentucky.
Upon arrival, it became clear that Woodford is a well-oiled machine, and it would ultimately turn out to be the most “commercial” of the stops we made. Don’t let that dissuade you, however, as it’s a beautiful property and certainly worth a visit. Our tour would lead us through each step in Woodford’s bourbon-making process over the course of about 45 minutes. We finished up in a stunning tasting room where we were guided through three bourbons, paired with a delicious chocolate truffle.
After lunch (which was included in the tour price), we made a surprise visit to Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg. As this was an unplanned stop and we had limited time, we headed straight to the bar where we eagerly ordered bourbon cocktails (as a lovely bonus, the price of the cocktail included a very nice quality whiskey glass).
Four Roses, also located in Lawrenceburg, was up next. This was a fairly short visit that did not include a tour, but did include a very entertaining guided tasting of several bourbons. As was the case at Wild Turkey, our tasting glasses were ours to keep!
Buffalo Trace, located in Frankfurt, was our final stop of the day, and included a stroll through the barrel-aging warehouse and even a short stop in the bottling facility, after which we tasted! Unlike our previous stops, this tasting included not only a few reputable bourbons, but also a sample of a vodka as well as a bourbon cream (YUM).
All in all, we greatly enjoyed our day with Mint Julep Tours. For us, it served as an excellent introduction into the world of bourbon. We’ve even enjoyed a few bourbon cocktails on occasion since returning. That said, I wouldn’t dare say that we’re prepared to trade in our Burgundy for Bourbon, but we’re definitely looking forward to continuing our bourbon/whiskey journey…hopefully with another visit to the Bluegrass State in the very near future!
Tracy Thornton, Guest Blogger
Read a short bio on Tracy in Red Shoes. Red Wine.‘s Guest Contributor section here. Follow Tracy’s adventures in Travel, Wine, and Photography on Instagram: @texanstracy and see her featured blog posts on Red Shoes. Red Wine. here: Tracy Thornton, Guest Blogger
This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, Red Shoes. Red Wine. will earn a small commission for the referral at no cost to you. Read more about affiliates & disclaimers here. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.