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amerivex-blog · 5 years

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11 U.S. Cities Perfect for a Weekend Getaway

The Way to spend time: Cover as much as you can of the 1,200-acre Balboa Park, spend a day on Coronado Island, and finish each night with a sunset at Sunset Cliffs. Eat your fill of California burritos in Nico's Mexican Food, and drink your plenty of beer from breweries including Ballast Point, Mike Hess, Stone Brewing, and AleSmith. Proceed south of the border, too, with Turista Libre, which takes travelers to hyper-local areas in Tijuana and Valle de Guadalupe.

Denver, Colorado

The Way to spend your time: After checking into the Art Hotel, spend a day at the seven-story Denver Art Museum with Monet's Le Bassin des Nympheas and Paul Klee's Palace Partially Destroyed, followed by a meal at Avelina. On day two, take advantage of this recently revived Winter Park Express Ski Train, which goes from downtown Denver to Front Range's Winter Park Resort in two hours. Come warmer weather, head 16 kilometers west of downtown Denver to the almost 900-acre Red Rocks Park, that has miles of hiking trails, sandstone cliffs, and also a geologically shaped amphitheater that's hosted everyone from The Beatles to Stevie Nicks.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Way to spend your time: Eat Shaya and Brennan's, each of which left our best restaurants in the entire word list, along with the latter of which has been firmly entrenched in the French Quarter as 1942. Crush a bag of beignets at Morning Call, which has considerably shorter lines compared to Cafe Du Monde--and pristine City Park views. When the sun sets, go beyond Bourbon Street, also do not miss music-driven evenings on Frenchmen Street, which has the Big Easy's most celebrated jazz.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

How to spend your time day in Fishtown, namely to wait in line for Pizzeria Beddia and crawl out of microbrewery into a microbrewery. A day of walking: Wander along North 3rd Street (duck into Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction) and East Passyunk (play a 60-minute' Escape the 80s' match ) before dinner in Michael Solomonov's Dizengoff or Zahav, where you'll dip into some of the best hummus in the nation. Finish at Hop Sing Laundromat, a somewhat-hidden cocktail bar and a rite of passage.

Baltimore, Maryland

The Way to spend your time: Eat your Way out of a new restaurant to the next before (shh) everybody puts in on the key: think Argentinean empanadas at Bar Vasquez; seafood risotto in Cosima; tea-smoked duck breast in Gunther & Co., and barbecue-flavored ice cream out of meals hallway R. House. Stroll off the moments across the historic Inner Harbor, and hop in an hour-long tour, by boat, of what has been deemed among the most underrated cities in the U.S. Catch a show at the gorgeous, refurbished Hippodrome Theatre. Allot three hours to the Baltimore Museum of Art, and get lost in Lexington Market, that will be like the Pike Place Market of Baltimore--if Pike Place was open since 1782, that's.

Portland, Maine

The Way to invest your time: Take the ferry to Peaks Island. Eat your weight in lobster rolls at Portland Lobster Company, and make sure to also hit Central Provisions, The Honey Paw, and Eventide Oyster Co., the"oyster bar of your dreams." (More than a dozen local craft breweries including Allagash and Rising Tide supply the drink; if you're sick of beer, attempt Portland Hunt & Alpine Club.) Walk panoramic Fore Street. Hop on a bicycle for a 6.5-mile flat loop of Portland, which sits on a peninsula, or spend a day" hiking" 70 miles of the increased city through Portland Trails. Push into Portland Head Light, a still-operational light station that has occupied its place five kilometers south of town because of 1791.

Nashville, Tennessee

How to spend your time: Start the day with a cup of house-roasted coffee at Crema. Shop 12 South for a souvenir: a customized pair of jeans from Imogene + willie, maybe, or handcrafted objects from White's Mercantile, a modern twist in an old-time general store curated by Hank Williams's granddaughter Holly. Eat sexy chicken from Hattie B. Honkytonk on Second Avenue at Robert's Western World, or Remain in the Gulch for bluegrass at The Station Inn. Spend two hours in the Frist Museum for Visual Arts, which was Nashville's central post office.

Charleston, S.C.

How to spend your own time: Take a walking tour of 18th-century architecture, and pick your preferred Georgian mansion from Rainbow Row or The Battery. Read a book under the 1,000-year-old, 1,700-square-foot Angel Oak Tree, and nap on the beach of Sullivan's Island. Make a booking at Husk. Possessing a fried chicken sandwich (or 3 ) in Leon's Oyster Shop--it's been known to make even the most severe vegetarian drop off the wagon, and no doubt contributed to Charleston being voted the most magnificent little city in the U.S. To burn those calories, walk into the middle of the Ravenel Bridge (1.25 miles) for sunset over the Cooper River--or say, hey, I'm on vacation, and have a cocktail on the roof of this Dewberry instead. Once the evening has entirely fallen, head within the centuries-old Dock Street Theatre for local and Broadway touring productions.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Way to spend your own time: Create artsy Lyndale, one of Airbnb's hottest areas of 2017, your foundation. Pay homage to hometown hero Prince in Paisley Park Museum one afternoon, or browse where the musician himself often shopped for music at indie store Electric Fetus. Lake hop: Lake Harriet, Lake CalhounLake, and Lake of the Isles are connected. Beer from Surly Brewing Company, dessert from Milkjam Creamery, and James-Beard award-winning Minnesotan cuisine in The Bachelor Farmer. Spend a couple of hours at the Walker Art Center, one of the nation's most excellent contemporary art museums. The American Swedish Institute is much more fun than it seems; and the Jucy Lucy from Matt's Bar--a beef patty with a core of molten cheese--is much better than it looks, intentional misspellings apart from

Madison, Wisconsin

The Way to spend your time: Bike 12 miles around Lake Monona. Make such as a Badger and wander some of those 20-plus miles of paths at the UW Arboretum (or, in winter, ski, snowshoe, or increase them), until filling up on fried cheese curds and Ale Asylum in Dotty Dumpling's Dowry. Take a 40-minute road trip to visit the New Glarus Brewing Company, which only awakens in Wisconsin. Take a 50-minute street trip to the shore and Ice-Age rock formations of the Driftless region. Get your art fix at the Chazen Museum of Art and the stunning, glass-walled Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Shop in the Saturday morning farmers' market on Capitol Square, reportedly the largest producer-only farmers' market in the nation. Eat dinner at Estrellón, and spare room for the Basque cake.

Louisville, Kentucky

How to spend time a sexy brown in The Brown Hotel. Walk the Old Louisville neighborhood, which allegedly has the most extensive collection of Victorian homes in the country. Pay tribute to The Louisville Lip in the Muhammad Ali Center. Take a trip to Maker's Mark and dip your bottle of Kentucky bourbon. Pop from the Speed Art Museum, fresh off a $50 million renovation and expansion. Do not miss a performance from the LGBT theater troupe Pandora Productions.

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whiskycast · 6 years

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BACK HOME ON WHISKEY ROW AFTER 99 YEARS (WhiskyCast Episode 732: October 14, 2018)

Old Forester released its final edition in the Whiskey Row series of limited-edition Bourbons this week, and the 1910 Old Fine Whiskey honors the brand's return to its historical home. Brown-Forman's $45 million Old Forester Distillery opened in June on Main Street in downtown Louisville on the same site where the company was located from 1882 until Prohibition began in 1919. We toured the distillery just as that final Whiskey Row edition was being bottled, and you'll hear it on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, $843,200 is a high price to pay for a rare whisky, but that high bid Saturday at Sotheby's fell short of the world record by more than a quarter of a million dollars. We'll also have details on an upcoming Supreme Court case that could affect interstate whisky shipments and details on the latest new whiskies.

#whiskey #whisky #Louisville #Kentucky #Bourbon #distillery #Old Forester #Brown-Forman #auction #The Macallan #Sotheby's #New York City #Supreme Court #alcohol #alcoholic beverages #drinks

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greatdrams · 6 years

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The GreatDrams Bourbon Lover’s Guide to Whiskey Tourism in Kentucky

Here at GreatDrams we'll be focusing on Bourbon over the next two weeks. What better way to get started than with a whiskey holiday!

Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve wanted to visit Kentucky for years. To make the pilgrimage, to visit the distilleries, to meet the people and to enjoy fantastic bourbon… and finally this happened in September 2018. Here is The GreatDrams Bourbon Lover's Guide to Whiskey Tourism in Kentucky.

GETTING THERE

If you’re travelling from the UK, I found flying from Manchester to Heathrow to Chicago and on to Lexington the easiest way, although choosing to fly with British Airways was definitely not the best as they failed in pretty much every way both ways, across all five flights but the rant about that will stay to Facebook and their complaints email address.

There are other travel options when visiting Kentucky from the UK;

London Heathrow to Atlanta and on to Lexington

London Heathrow to Chicago and on to Cincinnati and getting a $110 cab to Lexington

London Heathrow to New York JFK and on to Lexington

And many more.

It will take time to get there, but like all good pilgrimages, you get out what effort you put in and I was truly rewarded with brilliance during my time whilst visiting Kentucky.

WHERE TO STAY

I stayed at the 21c Hotel in Downtown Lexington, a museum hotel that was somewhere between inspiring and mightily random - for example there were big, 4ft blue plastic penguins everywhere and in all the corridors, and the maid (I assume) even put one in my room one morning - but incredibly comfortable and with a great local beer and whiskey menu… and the food was fantastic, so well worth a stay if you’re in the area.

GETTING AROUND

Distilleries in Kentucky are, like Scotland and Ireland, relatively well spread out so you will need a car to get around and I would highly recommend hiring a driver or asking who you are with REALLY nicely to be the designated driver as, whilst not all distilleries let you sample their whiskeys, you might pick up a sample or pass a bar along the way you want to try some wonderful Bourbon, Rye, Wheated Bourbon or concept whiskeys in.

Two of the days I was in Kentucky I had meetings so was very fortunate that one of the people I was seeing, Brian, was awesome enough to drive me around to various distilleries, he then arranged a private tour for my final day with a company called Bottled in Bond Tours.

Bottled in Bond Tours is owned by a well-travelled chap named Nate who is one of the most fantastically enthusiastic people about all things Kentucky, Bourbon and whiskey that I’ve met. A really nice guy who tailors your time with him to exactly what you want to do, see and experience. Nate also has connections in most of the distilleries so can get you to access things you probably would not otherwise be able to on your own.

THE BARS

I did not have a lot of time to explore the bar scene due to my schedule but did enjoy a couple of fantastic bars in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Bluegrass Tavern

Address: 1303, 115 Cheapside, Lexington, KY 40507, United States

Website: http://www.thebluegrasstavern.com

Opening Time: 5:00 pm

What a bar! Owned by a great guy named Sean who, along with the previous owners of the bar, have amassed an 800+ bottle strong collection of Bourbon ranging from the classics to the rarest and the obscure.

Make sure you go to this bar, it is affectionately described by their bartenders as a 'bourbon-centric dive bar’ and man did it deliver not only the American bar experience I love, with good local beers and superb Bourbon, but the guys there are awesome. Bartender Austin in particular was great at showing me superb whiskeys they have in that I would not be able to try anywhere else and it was great just to spend hours chatting about Bourbon and Kentucky with him. Whilst there I tried some belters including:

Chicken Cock Bourbon (chosen for the name, chosen again for how great it tasted)

Weller 12 Year Old

Wild Turkey Decades

Wilderness Trail Single Barrel

Wilderness Trail 4 Year Old Rye

Russell’s Reserve Bluegrass Tavern Barrel Select ‘Gobble Gobble Gulp’ exclusive to the bar

Cathop

Not a Bourbon bar at all, in fact I’m not sure I saw a Bourbon on the bar whilst there, but they had around a hundred, maybe more craft beers on tap ranging from all different styles and flavours.

The food here was great too, I had the Vladimir Poutine - essentially chips, gravy and cheese curd with a bit of brisket on top… a Canadian delicacy that I had not had in a couple of years so fancied tucking in again.

Bourbon on Rye

Address: 115 W Main St, Lexington, KY 40507, USA

Website: https://www.facebook.com/bourbononrye/

Opening Time: 4:00 pm

Simply put; this is where great Bourbon lives. A must visit.

THE DISTILLERIES

In the three days I was in Kentucky I managed to visit nine distilleries in total, each and every one I would recommend that you all visit too. One thing that did annoy me about a bunch of them was how little you are able to sample and to try at the distilleries, apparently a few of them pulled back on samples as people turned up and drank loads then went away again - personally I think that is a bit of a smokescreen as you should want people to try your stuff as they are more than likely to then buy something from the store. Here they are, in the order I visited them as it would be rude to rank them:

Castle & Key

Address: 4445 McCracken Pike, Frankfort, KY 40601, USA

Website: https://castleandkey.com/

When I visited this distillery was not open to the public, fortunately I was able to walk around it for an hour and a half or so with one of their top dogs, Brett, who took me through the whole story, the history and the vision for the place. When open this will be one of the nicest distilleries on the planet. Make sure you also try, and buy, their gin - phenomenal.

Maker’s Mark

Address: 3350 Burks Spring Rd, Loretto, KY 40037, USA

Website: https://www.makersmark.com/

Opening Time: 9:30 am

An icon of the Bourbon world, this distillery was great to see in person and I loved the small design touches around the place including the bottle outline being built into the window shutters, the red accent detail from the wax being included tastefully throughout the site and ability to wax dip your own bottle… which I dutifully did.

Heaven Hill

Address: 528 West Main St. Louisville, KY 40202

Website: https://www.heavenhill.com

Opening Time: 9:00 am

I only popped into the ship at this one as my time was pressed, but managed to pick up a single barrel Old Fitzgerald 14 Year Old and a McKenna (won best American single barrel whiskey this year).

Willett

Address: 1869 Loretto Road Bardstown, Kentucky 40004

Website: https://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/

Opening Time: 9:30 am

Did the full tour here and it was great, a really small distillery given the amount of brands and product they churn out but the tasting here was lovely as was the walk around the site… their distillery cat was cute too, and enjoyed a little tickle between stops on the tour.

Wilderness Trail

Address: 4095 Lebanon Rd, Danville, KY 40422, USA

Website: http://wildernesstraildistillery.com/

Opening Time: 10:00 am

These guys are incredible, distillers Pat and Shane have created something special here - their background in yeast cultivation and process efficiency for others has set them and their distillery up to be über successful as they have done from filling just one barrel of spirit a day in 2013 using a single pot still to 220 barrels being filled a day in 2018 to become the 14th biggest Bourbon producer in the United States. Incredible how these guys have done it and what they are on the cusp of achieving. Definitely check them out - they sell a single barrel exclusive in the distillery shop too which is fantastic.

Buffalo Trace

Address: 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY 40601, USA

Website: https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/

Opening Time: 9:00 am

Like Maker’s, an icon of the Bourbon industry and one you just have to visit even if it is just for the photo in front of the iconic water tower. One of the best and most historic distilleries I visited, and the tour guide Lee had great stories and fascinating tales. A good guy too. The tasting at the end of the tour was basic but good. One let down here was that there were no distillery exclusive whiskies to buy - a HUGE missed opportunity in my opinion, as always - and no premium whiskies either. There was a bottle of Blanton’s, but I had seen it elsewhere too.

Wild Turkey

Address: 1417 Versailles Rd, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342, USA

Website: https://wildturkeybourbon.com

Opening Time: 9:00 am

Great distillery, a nice - and reasonably priced - tasting bar downstairs and lots of random things to buy in the store including a gobbler - see my instagram. Their main corridor includes a nice way of explaining their history too.

Woodford Reserve

Address: 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, KY 40383-9781

Website: https://www.woodfordreserve.com

Opening Time: 9:00 am

Like Buffalo Trace and Maker’s, an icon of the Bourbon industry and one of the quaintest and truly American-designed distilleries I’ve visited. A great tour too, albeit quite stage-managed and overly scripted, that finishes with a basic tasting.

Bluegrass Distillers

Address: 501 W 6th St #165, Lexington, KY 40508, USA

Website: https://www.bluegrassdistillers.com/

Opening Time: 10:00 am

An unexpected one this, and one that is within walking distance from the hotel I stayed in (roughly 25 minutes each way). This was the smallest distillery of all I visited, but one of the coolest as you get to bottle your own Bourbon (or rye) right there in the distillery shop - something none of the others offered at all, and was an instant sale. Well worth checking them out. They produce Wheated Bourbon too, which you can bottle, and is akin to Pappy and Weller in base flavour profile and character.

The post The GreatDrams Bourbon Lover’s Guide to Whiskey Tourism in Kentucky appeared first on GreatDrams.

from GreatDrams http://bit.ly/2UQAM7Z Greg

#whisky #GreatDrams

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gregkatepetegowest · 3 years

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The Last Stop (Kinda): Louisville, KY

Okay, we have been home for nearly a month now and life has caught up with me. BUT I need to give the people what they want so here come the final two blog posts.

We ended our grand adventure in Louisville, KY. We knew we didn’t really want to be back in Nashville for July 4. Lots of extra tourists here, crowded bars, girls screaming on pedal taverns, etc. I didn’t have to start work until July 6 but wanted to be home July 5 to give myself a day to try to adjust to becoming a functioning adult again. Pete had never been to Louisville before and it’s a short 2.5 hour drive to Nashville so we figured it would be a cool spot to be for the fourth and the end of our journey.

One of Pete’s buddies lives in Louisville and we had plans to see Greensky Bluegrass on the waterfront with them that evening (July 3). We left STL late morning with plans to arrive to downtown Louisville around 3 pm. UNTIL we realized Louisville is EST, whoops! The drive from STL was only about four hours and we high tailed it so we would have time to check-in, walk Greg, shower and meet up Pete’s friend before the show. We stayed at The Moxy, which is dog friendly, a little swanky, but relatively cheap because it’s a boutique hotel (AKA small). Personally, I love boutique hotels and other than the room being a little small for two adults and an adult sized dog it was totally perfect for us. At this point in the trip/year we were back to hot ass southern weather (ugh ugh ugh) so our dog walk was short and sweet.

We met Pete’s friend Dave and his wife Kathleen as a brewery just under a mile away so we were nice and sweaty from our walk by the time we arrived. We had a drink and dinner and met some of Dave’s friends all of whom were very cool. I found out later that one of them had been Cody Rigsby’s roommate in NY for years. So very upsetting that I didn’t know this when I was in her presence. Storing many questions in my brain to ask her when we are back in Louisville next.

After dinner, we headed down to the waterfront where the concert was being held. I used to visit Louisville for work four times and a year but hadn’t been there is years and a lot has changed. The waterfront area has been completely redone and is now a huge park with lots of open space for hanging out, concerts, etc. The city did an amazing job with this transformation. Greensky was really cool. Naturally, I had never heard their music before, like many of the concerts that Pete brings me to, but I love bluegrass and live music so I had a blast. After Greensky, we walked back to The Moxy to take Greg out. We ended up grabbing a drink from the hotel bar and sitting outside with Greg which was great.

Louisville day two started with a 9 am class at Shed 415. Dave’s wife, Kathleen, owns the gym (she is a badass, clearly) and naturally after having a couple beverages I told her I’d LOVE TO TRY IT OUT! The next morning I was not quite as excited to run on a treadmill and lift weights for an hour but I knew it’s what Pete and I both needed so we put our shades on, walked Greg, chugged water and headed over to the gym. The class was great! Similar format to Barry’s Bootcamp but way more mellow, inclusive, no bros with shirts off, etc. Really, really loved it and the class flew by. If you find yourself in Louisville, I recommend you go and support Kathleen by taking a class at one of her studios (Shed 415).

After class, Pete and I felt like brand new people, and it was time to refuel. We went back to The Moxy to grab Gregor and then met Kathleen and Dave for coffee and breakfast (lox on a bagel, so good).

After breakfast Pete, Greg and I headed to PG&J's Dog Park Bar. We wanted to hit it before it got any hotter and we were still dirty from our class. PG&J’s is just as the name states. An indoor/outdoor bar where you can bring your dog and let them off leash to peruse the entire indoor/outdoor facility. The sign in process took quite a while so we sweat some more while we stood outside waiting. Finally, it was our turn! We got Greg all signed in and I was feeling really happy to give him some time off leash after being in the hotel most of the evening the night before.

If you know Greg well, you know he likes to play rough. He also really loves to be chased by his dog friends. Off leash he is USUALLY well-mannered meaning he doesn’t fight with other dogs despite their breed (on leash he has a major problem with doodle breeds, which has been great since non-shedding dogs have been ALL THE RAGE for the last few years). I digress.

We enter the bar section, which is indoor, and I let Greg off his leash. Basically, from that moment onward he creates complete chaos. He starts by basically spinning out once he’s off leash. The floors were concrete with a finish so a tad slippery for dogs and as soon as he heard his leash being unclipped, he tried to sprint away towards all the other dogs as fast as he possibly could. Pete and I looked at each other and immediately headed to the bar for a drink. While waiting for our drink, we could see Greg psychotically running around the dog park, up to other dogs, peeing on numerous items including the leg of a chair SOMEONE WAS SITTING IN. We really didn’t know what to do. Technically, he wasn’t doing anything WRONG he was just causing a ruckus. We decided the best move was to pretend he wasn’t our dog. This was working out well until he pooped and I had to pick it up. We were outed.

After 20 minutes or so, he mellowed out a little but began pestering one dog in particular. He wants this dog, another GSD breed, to chase him but this dog really doesn’t want to and finds him annoying and is exhibiting all the signs dogs exhibit when they are annoyed. Growling, raising his hair up, etc. Greg doesn’t care. He wants him to chase him and continues to pester. The dog park has a “ranger” whose job is walk around with a water bottle full of rocks and shake it when the dogs start to fight or become aggressive with each other. Before long, I hear the bottle shaking noise and I know it must be Greg. Sure enough, it was, but since he wasn’t the one being aggressive he isn’t in any trouble! Long story short, Greg caused the other dog to have to go on a “five-minute leash break” and eventually the dog and his peeps just left all together. Ugh.

By now, Pete and I realized what we thought would be fun and relaxing was not either of those things. We had to finish our drink STAT and get out of there. We tried to drink fast but it wasn’t fast enough. Greg had found his next “friend” in an adorable Border Collie who he decided he had a crush on. SO EMBARSSING WHOSE CHILD IS THAT?! This poor dog just kept trying to run away, for good reason. As we were leaving, we met his person who was really cool and didn’t seem to be upset that our dog was trying to sexually assault his dog. I don’t think we will be back at PG&J’s anytime (ever again) soon. Now you know why there are no photos from this experience! However, the concept is really cool, was super clean and well maintained with lots of room for dogs and people so if you have a normal dog and you’re in Louisville I would definitely visit this establishment!

After our 45 minutes of fun at the dog park, we headed back to the hotel to shower up. We spent the rest of the day walking around downtown getting snacks and drinks. We stopped by Garage Bar, Feast, La Bodeguita de Mima and Angel's Envy distillery. Highly recommend all of these joints but Angel's Envy was definitely the highlight. We did a super basic tasting but learned a ton and Angel's Envy is very tasty bourbon (coming someone who typically DOES NOT like bourbon straight). From Angel's Envy we headed to the waterfront to secure a firework watching location. Greg was allowed at the waterfront and could care less about fireworks which worked out great. After fireworks, we headed back to The Moxy to relax before heading home to Nashville the next morning.

The next morning, we checked out and walked all along the river front. I couldn’t get over how much Louisville had changed (for the better) since I’d been there last and I truly cannot wait to go back and visit. Next time we visit Louisville, we plan to much more proactive about making tasting/tour reservations at the downtown bourbon distilleries.

I was starting to get majorly depressed about having to resume normal life the next day so we decided to delay that feeling just slightly by stop at Mammoth Cave National Park on our way home. Kudos to Pedro for finding this park for us! Had no idea such a cool spot was so close to home. This park is home to the longest cave system known in the world. Uh, cool! We learned many cool facts along our walk through the park which you can also find here if you’re interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Cave_National_Park

We didn’t go into Mammoth Cave itself because we had Greg with us but we did see some of the smaller caves which had bats hibernating in them right now! When we were there, the temperature outside with in the low 80 range but the temperature in the cave was in the high 50 range! When we walked by the entrance to Mammoth Cave it kept like standing in front of an open refrigerator door. So wild and a great way to take a break mid-hike and cool down. We have plans to head back to this park, sans dog, so we can really explore the caves more.

From here, we headed back to Nash-Vegas which was only an hour and a half drive. It was weird driving towards the city and seeing the Nashville skyline. Since we had absolutely no food at our house and we were not about to grocery shop our first hour back in town, we stopped at our favorite dive in our neighborhood for a late lunch/early dinner. Suddenly, it kind of felt like we never left!

I’ll wrap this thing up with a few of our trip highlights and lowlights for the last post. This has been the most asked question from friends/family since we returned!

#louisville #louisvillekentucky #kentucky #sabbatical #roadtrippin #roadtrip #lifeontheroad

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bike42 · 3 years

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Kentucky Derby Weekend April 29 – May 2, 2021

Wednesday evening, we took Sox the cat downtown to Bailey’s condo, then came home to pack (the cat hates to see suitcases). I can pack for a hiking trip with my eyes practically closed, but this kind of trip took some thinking! I had to match shoes, purses and jewelry to all of my outfits, and then of course there was my hat. Since we’d decided to drive the 6+ hours to Louisville, space wasn’t an issue and we were able to load our car with hat boxes, a large bag of snacks, yoga mat, pillows and suitcases!

We were up at 6am on Thursday, anxious to get going, and we were on the road just after 7am. As we were packing last night, Jeff wondered if our iPass was in the new Audi – I thought it was, but we didn’t check. We had decided to travel straight down through Illinois and skip the Chicago madness so I was thinking tolls wouldn’t be an issue anyway. But as we got to Janesville, we recalled we still had the one toll near Rockford, so I checked the glove box – the iPass was not there. It had been in our old Audi, so I thought it was odd that we’d have moved it to the other car – we haven’t travelled to Illinois since February 2020. Then Jeff said he thought he remembered that our new Audi has a built-in toll pass?! I got out the manual and sure enough! It led me through the steps to get it activated, and I was able to get it set up just moments before we hit the Illinois border.

We had rain through most of Illinois, but decent traffic and no major slowdowns even though there was a lot of road construction. We turned east at Bloomington toward Danville, IL which started us reminiscing about our 2013 cycling trip down the length of the state.

The trees were more leafed out than ours and it seemed to get greener with every mile we traveled. As we got south of Indianapolis, we saw our first Waffle House, so we stopped the Waffle House in Taylorsville for our favorite breakfast (regardless of the time of day) when we’re in the south (waffles, eggs over easy, split a side of bacon).

We arrived in Louisville and checked into the downtown Hilton Garden Inn just before 3pm. That left us ample downtime for yoga, naps, catching up email from the day, and showers before our 7pm dinner reservation at Vincenzo’s.

So many experiences already on the trip feel novel, packing last night, a six-hour road trip, and now checking into the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in since February 2020. Once upside to the pandemic and its quarantine is the pure appreciation I have for the ability to travel again!

The restaurant was an easy walk from the hotel, and even though we’d checked the weather app before we headed down from our room, we were surprised to have sprinkles on our faces when we stepped out onto the sidewalk. No worries, Jeff had his rain coat and I had my beautiful poncho that I’d bought in Paris two years ago on a rainy April day.

We had a great leisurely dinner, four courses and a bottle of wine. It was nice to be dressed up and out together again. The staff and service were amazing, and we tried to chat a bit with the gentleman we thought was the proprietor (Vincenzo?), but he seemed to have limited English (or hearing). We’d heard on the local news before going out that that town of Louisville was so excited about this week-end – several hotels and restaurants were booked full – and that’s news!

After dinner, we walked through the Fourth street party area, which was fairly subdued at 6:30pm but we expected it’d be hopping later. There was a friendly guy on the street having a cigarette, he was a beer salesman named Scott from Appleton, WI. He was excited to tell us all about what to expect at the derby, how crowded this area should be right now (in a normal year), all the famous people he’d previously partied with here, etc. He’d have gone on all night, but his wife was calling him from a nearby table telling him his dinner was getting cold!

We had a lazy Friday morning, then we were out on the street at 9am to walk to waterfront park. Our hotel was a great location, and we found it was a beautiful day. It wasn’t long before we were peeling off layers. We walked along the Ohio river, east to the converted railroad bridge called the Big Four Bridge, the headed back. The river itself is muddy and filled with debris, but the Waterfront Park was fabulous. All of the people we encountered were so friendly – many greeting us with “Happy Derby!”

We had tickets to tour the Louisville Slugger factory and museum at 11am, so we walked back along the waterfront and found it in a funky part of old town (Main Street) – the area that had been known as Whiskey Row at the turn of the century. We really enjoyed the tour. Since I’d booked it last week, I had this song lyric with “Louisville Slugger” trying to work its was to the front of my brain. I took to google when we were having lunch later and figured out its from Mary Chapin Carpenter’s song “The Bug.” It goes: “sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug … sometimes you’re the Louisville Slugger, baby, sometimes you the ball … “

After lunch we wandered into the Evan Williams Experience, where we sampled Peach Mint Juleps – yum. Back to the hotel, we had a nap, then showers – ready for our next event at 3:30pm. This was an event booked by the group where we got our tickets: Princeton Sports Group. It was billed as “Derby Eve at Buffalo Trace,” but we weren’t sure what to expect. We got to the lobby and found we were a busload of people, and we were headed to the Buffalo Trace Distillery, about an hour away in Frankfort! Our guide and driver were great, they plied us with cocktails and information about bourbon and the trip went fast.

When we arrived at the distillery, there were three other packed busses, so we had a wait a bit to get through the temperature screening and get assigned to a guide. The distillery had a policy that everyone wear masks (except when seated in the tasting room), even outside, and some in our group were pretty vocal about thinking that requirement was ridiculous (especially the group from Texas!).

While I enjoyed the tour of the rickhouses (3-4 floor buildings where whiskey is aged after its barreled), and the room where the empty barrels were stored, I was disappointed that we didn’t get to tour the actual distillery – I wanted to see the chemistry! None-the-less, we had an enthusiastic tour guide and it continued to be a beautiful day and we enjoyed the beauty and the history of the property while we waited our turn to enter the tasting room. There we were socially distanced at spots with 5 shots laid out for each of us – a vodka (too strong for me just straight), and three bourbons with progressively better quality: Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and Blanton’s Single Barrel (we’d been introduced to that last month by our nephew Calvin, a far superior bourbon). We thought the tasting finished with their Bourbon Cream (like a Bailey’s) which was yummy on its own, but they served it with a shot glass of root beer and when we combined the two – we found heaven! Since it was Derby time, they finished the tasting with a demonstration of making Mint Juleps, and we each were served a large portion of that!

After the tasting, we had some time to shop, so we headed to the store and bought a bottle of their Bourbon Cream (they sell out of Blanton’s as soon as its bottled, or we’d have bought that too). By then we were mildly buzzed and in need of food.

Back on the bus, we travelled about 20 minutes before stopping at Jeptha Creek – an event center where we had dinner, more drinks, dancing to a bluegrass band and playing a little corn-hole in the yard. During dinner, we sat with two couples that had arrived on another bus – also their first Derby experience and we enjoyed trading stories with them.

On our bus back to Louisville, our guide decided it was time for bus Karaoke (using the music on his phone and holding it up to the microphone). One guy, who didn’t seem particularly gregarious, got up to sing, and sang very well as the bus lurched along the interstate. We sang all the way to the hotel, a fun night.

We awoke Saturday morning to another beautiful day, and had a leisurely morning with a hotel room workout and breakfast. We had the local NBC affiliate that had full time coverage from Churchill Downs and we watched the first two races on TV before heading out. The gates opened at 10am, but that felt too early to go, yet there were plenty of partiers already there.

We headed out of the hotel about noon. It was a bright sunny day and neither of us were prepared with sunscreen, so we walked around the corner to the CVS drugstore. As we walked down the street, we were greeted with shouts of “Happy Derby Day,” and nearly every vehicle driving by stopped as asked if we wanted a “shuttle” to the track. Our hotel offered a shuttle for $40 per person (which I thought was excessive), we could have driven our car and parked at the University lot and walked from there, but we’d decided we were going to take an Uber (I really want to think the best of people, but it seemed like a bad idea to jump into a car with someone who’s just taped a “Derby Shuttle” sign to his car for the day).

As we walked into CVS, a confrontation broke out between a store employee and a young black man who was accused of having stashed something inside his coat. You could feel the tension in the store, and it put me on edge too. Other employees were suggesting the manager hold the guy until the police arrived. We grabbed a bottle of sunscreen and went to the checkout, where the clerk was almost too distracted to check us out.

As we walked out the door, the managers had wrestled the man outside and the police had arrived. The scene quickly was surrounded by others that were taking videos on their cell phones. We moved around the corner, and didn’t see how it resolved, but it went quietly. Perhaps the manager was wrong?

Last month, we both got new iPhones, and are still struggling with having to sign into apps we haven’t used!? Ugh. We both really struggle trying to recall passwords that our phones have been so diligent about remembering, or allowing us to use face recognition. After a bit, Jeff succeeded in getting into his Uber app, but then his credit card had changed since we last used Uber, probably in NYC in 2019. My nerves were still on edge, and I was a bit panicked about standing here outside CVS with both of us focused on the phone, Jeff with his wallet in his hand and his credit card out. I pulled out my phone and was able to log into my Uber and my credit card was still active, so I said “I’ll order the Uber and you can work on your account another time!”

We had a great Uber driver, Onfraus. He had a Green Bay Packer emblem on the front of his Jeep. His girlfriend is from Wausau and he knew a lot about Madison. He asked if State Street was still the place to be, and was shocked when we told him of the devastation after “protests” turned violent last year when windows were smashed and businesses looted after the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis. We all agreed it didn’t make sense - the wrong people in the wrong place, with a demonstration of anti-police effort. His calm wonderful manner helped calm my frayed nerves. A lifelong Louisville resident, he was helpful in explaining where he had to drop us, and how to walk to the track from where he dropped us, and also where to find the Uber pickup lot to get our ride back to the hotel after the Derby. It was just over three miles - $45 with tip (surge pricing).

It was easy to figure out the way to the track, we followed the colorful crowd. Lots of young adults - many of them quite drunk already. I was surprised that many people had chairs, headed for the infield lawn which is where the party really happens, we’d heard. We followed the crowd to the gates, went through security, but our tickets wouldn’t read in the scanner - oh no. Our panic was relieved when a supervisor told us we had Clubhouse tickets, and we were at the infield gate, the wrong gate. They led us out and we worked our way against the crowd for a bit, and felt like was walked all the way around the outside of the track until we found our gate. I’d worn shoes for comfort and was glad to be walking before sitting for the next six hours or so.

At the Clubhouse entrance, things were more civilized and the crowd was scarce. In fact, due to COVID, they’re operating at about 40% capacity - so for someone like me that likes my personal space, this was perfect!

We found our seats - the first two seats in a box that was set up for just four, but could accommodate six. Every other box was blocked out with a tarp to maintain physical distance, so we had perfect sight lines to the finish like right in front of us. We were in the covered section, so no need for that sunscreen after all (but we saw quite a few people who could have used it).

There was a race roughly every hour, so we fell into an easy pattern of watching a race, then exploring the grounds in between races. This year for the first time, all food and drink were included in the ticket price, so we grazed on food and I sampled most of the specialty cocktails: Mint Julep, Whiskey Spire (cranberry) and the Lily (vodka and grapefruit).

For me, the neatest part about being onsite was standing at the edge of the paddock. Not only was the people watching amazing, but it gave us a close look at the horses. They’d be led around the circle, some seemed proud to be on display, some were fighting being led around, then they’d pull them into a cubicle where magically the tiny saddle would be strapped to the horse, then another lap or two, photos with the owners / VIP and one last parade past with the jockey onboard. How cool it was to see that up close. I’d never noticed their lightweight boots, and the small stirrups that seemed strung up too high. From the paddock, the procession would move under the grandstand and out onto the track where they’d parade by, before heading around the track to the starting gate (which was out of our view, but we could see it on the large video screen). The only downside to being there in person is the race happens so fast and with the crown noise and the garbled speakers, we couldn’t really tell how the horses we’d selected we’re doing!

We were joined in our box by a dapper young man, Jackson and his girlfriend, Danni, from Miami. Jackson split his time growing up between Middleton WI with his dad (attended Edgewood High School), and Louisville with his mom. He’d been to the derby many times before, but this could have been his first time trying to impress a girl with his knowledge. They were cute.

In the box kitty-corner to our front right, there were Louisville police officers. They primarily spent their time scrolling through their social media feeds on their phones. Later in the evening, two started smoking cigars and snapping photos of themselves. It seemed inappropriate and was noxious to be around, but the smell of cigar smoke was pervasive throughout the day regardless. As we were heading out to explore between races, we stopped to ask them if it’d be safe to walk the three miles back to our hotel after the race. They looked at us like we had two heads!

The actual “Derby” the twelfth of fourteen races during the day. It was the only race we actually bet us, choosing Hot Road Charlie (Jeff pick which finished third), and my pick, Rock Your World, finished in seventeenth place. We’d added the favorite pick of the day, Essential Quality to our trifecta bet (it came in fourth). Almost, but that doesn’t count in horse racing, so we lost our $200 but had fun doing so!

We hung around for a bit, enjoying some last-minute people watching, then joined the stream of people heading out of the main gate. We turned right, towards the Uber lot, which meant we were once again walking against the crowd leaving the infield – many were now very drunk, most were sunburned, and some were being carried. It seemed to be a zoo at the Uber lot, and the app showed our same driver, but it’d oscillate between 20-30 minutes away. The crowd and the noise of the Jesus Freaks yelling at the crowd through bad speakers was making me crazy, so I lobbied to start walking.

We walked with a smaller crowd, but many of them pealed off as we strolled through the U of L campus. We walked past large house parties, still going strong. After a mile, there were only a handful of us still walking towards downtown, but it felt good to move and the neighborhood felt ok. Several people that we’d pass would shout out friendly greetings, and we just kept moving, only slightly creeped out by the recommendation from the police that we don’t try to walk back to the hotel.

It started getting dark as we got close, but by then, it felt like a normal evening stroll. It felt great to get to the room though and jump into the shower to wash away the dirt and cigar smoke from the day! We were probably both sleeping by 9pm!

On Sunday, we were up before our alarm, so we got dressed and finished packing up and we were crossing the Ohio back into Indiana before 7am. An uneventful drive, and great to be home in the early afternoon and still enjoy the day.

#KentuckyDerby

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dramstreet · 4 years

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LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 27, 2020 In September Michter's Distillery will be releasing a limited amount of US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Rye. "The reception that our Toasted Barrel Finish whiskeys have received is a result of tremendously focused work done by our production team led by Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson. Despite the continuing shortages across all our whiskey stocks, we really wanted to make some of our rye available for this special release," said Joseph J. Magliocco, Michter's President. Michter's Toasted Barrel Finish Rye is made by taking fully matured Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye at barrel strength and then further aging it in a second custom barrel made to the specifications set by Michter's Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson. She commented, "For this 2020 release, we selected rye barrels aged to peak quality and then dumped each barrel, with the contents of each single barrel being put in a second single barrel assembled from 24 month naturally seasoned and air dried wood. The second barrel was custom toasted to extract characters to create a rich and decadent rye whiskey experience." The average barrel proof for the toasted rye barrels bottled for this release is 109.2. Master Distiller Dan McKee remarked, "This is a whiskey that you really can sip and savor." The suggested Retail Price of Michter's US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Rye is $85 for a 750ml bottle in the U.S. Beyond its main distillery in the Shively section of Louisville, Michter's operations extend to two other sites in Kentucky. In Springfield, Michter's is farming estate grown grain on its 145-acre property, while in downtown Louisville, Michter's has its second distillery in the historic Fort Nelson building. Situated in a prime location on West Main Street opposite Louisville Slugger and on the same block as the Frazier Museum, Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery features the legendary pot still system from Michter's Pennsylvania Distillery. When open, it also has educational tours with whiskey tastings as well as The Bar at Fort Nelson, which features classic cocktails curated by spirits and cocktail historian David Wondrich. Michter's makes highly acclaimed, limited production whiskeys that are subject to allocation because demand has exceeded supply. Michter's is renowned for its single barrel rye, small batch bourbon, single barrel bourbon, and small batch American whiskey. For more information, please visit www.michters.com, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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thebourbontruth · 7 years

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Doing the Bourbon Trail 2017

A lot has changed since my last Bourbon Trail post so it’s time. http://kybourbontrail.com What I’ve noticed is people tour under very different time constraints and whom your accompanied by. Solo vs a family trip with the kids and grandparents has much different needs and results. First off do the trail sober. The Kentucky Bourbon Distillers has been enlisting the help of Uber and Lyft. There are taxis and private and public tour groups. Plan ahead for not driving when you shouldn’t be or have a DD.

Logistics As of 2016 there are over a million visits a year visiting Kentucky for “ bourbon tourism” and growing. In 10 years the number has tripled to where it is. That’s a lot. During peak days or times you will NOT be able to get a tour unless you preplan and reserve well in advance. http://kybourbontrail.com/kentucky-bourbon-trail-barrels-past-1-million-visits-2016/

The unofficial and official trail extends well north starting in Newport Kentucky (outside Cincinnati) where New Riff (craft) is to Bowling Green (almost the Tennessee boarder) where Corsair (craft) is over a 3 hour drive so limits are usually present. Most other Distilleries average a 45-60 minute drive apart but Buffalo Trace, Woodford, Wild Turkey, and Four Roses are within half an hour of each other. Regardless of the distance your not getting to them all, possibly not even all the major ones. Secondly, (I’ll say it again) during peak days and times you might not be able to tour at all or need to wait without reservations so make reservations. Another General recommendation is that you and certainly kids have a three distillery attention limit. Things will start blending in and looking the same after that. Pick carefully because if Beam is at the top of your list, do it first. If you put favorite or must see’s at the end you may never make it. If you do more than 3, make that a daily limit. If you don’t want to drive, Mint Julep Tours has some great private and public options http://mintjuleptours.com https://mintjuleptours.com/public-bourbon-tours/

Weather The summer is hot and steamy, sometimes too hot. Bring lots of water in a cooler if you can. The summer may also have distilleries that are closed or not distilling so if you really want to see a special distillery make sure they are operating the days your planning to be there. Winter has ice and when roads are icy the distilleries have been known to close completely. Pets in the car don’t mix well if hot or cold.

Where to sleep? The nicest national hotel chain in Bardstown is the Hampton Inn. There are a few bed and breakfasts but if you want central location, choice and some luxury, Louisville is your best bet (about an hour from most things). Use this as your central hub. Places like the Marriott East (Eastern suburb to downtown Louisville) are a bit cheaper than the regular high end places in downtown and a bit closer to Frankfort area Buffalo Trace, Woodford and Lawrenceburg for Wild Turkey and Four Roses. If your going to be further South, besides Bardstown, Elizabethtown is another option.

If you’re a couple or buddies or a couple touring, I’d recommend Louisville for the bars, Resturant’s and Whiskey Row attractions. Night life is practically non existent other than Louisville. I have regretted Lexington stays as its too far from most places. If your willing to switch hotels in/from other cities/towns that’s a different matter. I personally stay at the Marriott Residence Inn in downtown Louisville when staying downtown. It’s a 50 foot walk/stumble to the best Whiskey bar in Kentucky (Haymarket, a fun dive bar open late). Wandering the streets of Louisville at night, potentially drunk, when not in a group isn’t recommended.

Family trips You better pick just Three-Four distilleries or your going to hear whining. Mix things in like Mammoth Caves, Underground Zip lines, Lincoln Boyhood home, museums, rides on the river in Louisville etc.. The Beam Urban Stillhouse and Evan Williams Experience http://evanwilliams.com/visit.php in Louisville are good for kids so I don’t count those as part of your 3. If you only have two days stick to those close to the Bluegrass Parkway. Buffalo Trace to Bardstown.

Solo or Couples Pick 5 places unless you have more than two days. At five you’ll also start to get the “distillery burnout” and a potentially unhappy spouse. If your going to do more than 5 anyway try to split it up maybe with Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington, Nashville touring. Visit the races, horse farm etc. you’ll need a break.

Smaller Distilleries Craft and lesser known names I wouldn’t try too hard to get to unless its Willett or on the way with burnout considered.

Cost Plan on about $5-20 per adult per Distillery. Buffalo Trace has the only free tours that I recall. I’ve even heard that Makers Mark is currently charging to get in even with no tour. Don’t know if this is temporary. Other Visitor Centers/Gift Shops at this point are still free to get in but tours are the extra charge. Some might offer Discounts for DD’s, Military, Seniors, Law Enforcement and First responders so ask. Children are usually free to a certain age.

The Distilleries By rough geography. If I miss or skip a distillery it’s not necessarily a skip, I personally haven’t been or not enough there to warrant the extra time to get there. Some distilleries may have a distillery exclusive bottle. I’ll try to note these. Keep in mind that by law any Kentucky retailer can carry these also but they rarely do or can get them before the gift shop gets them all from distribution. They are part of the three tier system so even the distillery exclusives technically need to go through a third party distributer.

Louisville Angels Envy The newest tour in Downtown Louisville across from Slugger Baseball Stadium. A beautiful great tour. If you can’t see the rest of the Bourbon Trail this is a great option. Nothing I could see in the Gift shop different than what you can get at home but I’d go back again. They did have their Rye which is often sold out back home. Note that tours do get sold out on weekdays off peak as they were when I was there.

Bulleit Experience If your not a Stitzel Weller geek skip it. If you don’t know what Stitzel Weller is, again, skip it. More or less a Diageo ad for Bulleit that has never had or has a current real Distillery there although one is due to open soon in Shelbyville that might have public tours.

Copper and Kings is a Brandy distillery in Louisville if your into that and have time.

Evan Williams Experience A mini distillery and showcase of distilling and history. A fun time. They have a few exclusives like a 12 year and 23 year Evan Williams.

Frankfort area

Buffalo Trace http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/visit-us/our-tours Not an official part of or member of the Bourbon Trail. Free tours and you should reserve Hard Hat Tours as opposed to the regular hourly tours. They split production and maturation into roughly two tours so you could end up there most of the day to get tour bookend Hard Hat type tours in. This is a whiskey factory. Not much for kids but a not to be missed option. Don’t expect any bottles you can’t get at home of Whiskey, nothing special.

Woodford Reserve https://www.woodfordreserve.com/distillery/tours/ Very pretty and fairly quick tours. Drive through horse county to the nicest Distillery in Ky. A couple releases you can only find at the distillery. Real nice gift shop packed full. Usually two unique Whiskeys in .375 size avail each only there. A must stop.

Castle and Key Beginning tours soon. Read up on Old Taylor History (what used to be here) and check it out. Down the street from Woodford. If and when tastings are offered in the near future it will be new booze and young aka not too good. Keep this in mind for any newer distillery only bottling their own make.

Four Roses http://fourrosesbourbon.com Another great stop but no bottling or maturation is done here (see below). That is a separate facility near Beam that you can tour. A whiskey factory that’s a great stop for a Four Roses lover. Bottles selected by Brent Elliott the Master Distiller in the nice large gift shop usually.

Wild Turkey http://wildturkeybourbon.com/visit-us/ New distillery, visitor center and bottling. Feels a bit sterile. Tours stop at lots of windows you can only look through like the distillery. A nice stop and Master Distillers Eddie or Jimmy Russell are often hanging out signing things. Usually no special bottlings are for sale there but a good fun stop.

Bardstown They are adding lots of distilleries but the ones there are Willett and Barton. Don’t stop at Barton if you’ve been/going to one of the whisky factories. Ugly, nothing you’ll want in the giftshop.

Willett https://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/visit-willett-distillery/# You MUST get a reservation early at Willett to be safe. Its small and very very popular. A recent Saturday out of season had 500 people and they stopped counting. Willett often has private bottling you can’t get elsewhere of advanced age. They are fleeting though. A 14 year old bottling could show up without notice then be sold out within an hour. Don’t expect it will be while you are there but and a big but- If you are on the tour and ask nice you never know. Willett Family Reserve is one of the hardest to get due to the value on the secondary market. They do have their other retail brands and sometimes Rye there regularly. Great people. Expanding Giftshop about to have a bed and breakfast onsite summer/fall 2017 most likely. Periodically will have things you can’t get elsewhere at random. Still have bottles of allocated things from back home you might not see.

Makers Mark If you want to make the trip on Loretto Rd that passes Willett, Makers Mark is ½ hour each way. A cool nice Distillery if you have time. Pretty and complete tours. Can get real busy. Usually one or two things in a large gift shop you can’t get back home.

There is practically nothing but windy roads and little or no cellular coverage. It’s worth the trip but consider it’s a half day excursion. Great Giftshop. The most educational tasting of different stages of maturation, big Giftshop with some private things you can’t get elsewhere and chance to wax dip your own bottle.

If your out this way consider stopping at Independent Stave in Lebanon where they make new Whiskey barrels. Two tours a day, reservations a must. Worth a stop if you have time. http://www.iscbarrels.com/tours/

Wilderness Trace also (see below)

Heaven Hill’s maturation and bottling are here in Bardstown. If you’ve seen or will be seeing these at other places no real draw for me to recommend the tour. The Louisville distillery is not open to the public but the Evan Williams Experience fills in with a mini distillery and nice facility. http://heavenhilldistillery.com/bourbon-heritage-center.php?utm_source=BHC&utm_medium=Redirect&utm_campaign=BHCRedirect&bhc=1

The Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center and Giftshop is a great stop however with frequently special bottlings you can’t get at home or tightly allocated.

Four Roses Maturation and Bottling is near Beam and Bardstown. If you’re a fan of Four Roses or want to see these production pieces in depth, stop. It’s 5 minutes from Beam but hours are a bit more limited. Navigation will often send you to the wrong Four Roses address so make sure you enter the address so don’t trust your navigation to suggest an address. Tour cost are Interchangeable so a receipt for the distillery gets you into the other. The last tour of the day departs the Visitor Center at 3:00 p.m. 624 Lotus Road Cox’s Creek, KY 40013

Beam http://www.jimbeam.com/en-us/visit-us/book-a-tour They did a good job here setting up a complete experience. Maybe one of the best. I will say this is the tour from the Barrel picking experience so the regular tour may include other parts of the real distillery operation. You should check. Good for kids and has micro tastes of products and a couple whiskeys unique to the huge American Still House gift shop.

Wilderness Trail This is another extreme distance but worth the trip if you have lots of time and want to see a nice craft place.

Craft distilleries Remember burnout. If you want to indulge check out http://kybourbontrail.com/craft-tour/

I want more If you want even more or more on-depth experience Moonshine University runs courses from a day to 5 day Distiller classes. Also a Stave and Thief Whisky Society Certification. They are in Louisville. If you arrange your trips around their schedules it gives you this extra option. https://moonshineuniversity.com/courses/

Lastly, in the next couple years many new attractions and distilleries will be opening in downtown Louisville and it’s Whiskey Row so check to see what they have opened. Here are some suggested driving times and map http://kybourbontrail.com/map/

Enjoy your trip and be safe.

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downtownlou · 5 years

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Kentucky Peerless Announces Second Bourbon Release!⁠ ⁠ Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company announced the inaugural release of their first Bourbon in 102 years on June 22, 2019 and sold all available bottles that day. Kentucky Peerless will have its second Bourbon Release on August 3, 2019. Kentucky Peerless will open at 9 a.m. for those interested in the limited quantities of Peerless Bourbon. Complimentary tastings will be offered every half hour from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tours will be offered at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and limited to 30 people per tour. After beginning barreling in March of 2015, the Taylor family has been patiently crafting one barrel at a time making fine Rye and Bourbon. Corky Taylor, 4th generation and CEO, has been breathing life back in to his great- grandfather’s legacy that originally started in 1889. Standing true to what the first generation once started, the Taylor family has taken no shortcuts in making a quality product surpassed by none. With the use of sweet mash instead of sour, non-chilled filtration, barreling product at 107 proof and bottling it as a barrel strength whiskey, Peerless has carefully crafted an independent path that is here to stay. Peerless Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey can be tasted and purchased on August 3 at Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company located on 120 N 10th Street in downtown Louisville. The distillery is open to the public on Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm (Thursdays and Fridays until 7:00pm).⁠ ⁠ About Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. The Peerless family’s very first bourbon went into a barrel in 1889. They have since revived the craft in their own state-of-the-art distillery in the Bourbon District, where they use the finest ingredients. The Peerless family believes that patience builds character and⁠ fine Bourbon and Rye can never be rushed. All under one roof, the select Kentucky Peerless grains are milled, cooked, fermented, double-distilled and barreled as Bourbon & Rye. For more information, visit kentuckypeerless.com https://ift.tt/2yxNXS8

#Instagram #Louisville #Kentucky #Downtownlouisville #Louisvilleky #KY

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latebloomernc · 5 years

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We’re going on tour again in August. Some places we’ve been and some we haven’t, so see ya there? Tues. 13 Aug Raleigh, NC @ Slim's Downtown Wed. 14 Aug Harrisonburg, VA @ The Golden Pony - VA Thurs. 15 Aug Pittsburgh, PA @ The Mr. Roboto Project Fri. 16 Aug Buffalo, NY @ Pool Party Sat. 17 Aug Toronto, ON @ The Grand Gerrard Sun. 18 Aug Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch Mon. 19 Aug Columbus, OH @ Cafe Bourbon Street Tues. 20 Aug Louisville, KY @ Mag Bar Wed. 21 Aug Asheville, NC @ The Odditorium https://www.instagram.com/p/Bza5lbDpVtS/?igshid=4z2yoq86ciny

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miamibeerscene · 7 years

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12 Brewery Music Venues to Visit in the South

Music inside Hardywood Park’s taproom. (Credit: Hardywood Brewing)

June 13, 2017

You could argue that beer and music go together better than any other beer pairing. Bold words indeed when you consider all the combinations of beer and food, beer and lawn games, beer and … everything.

But when we acknowledge that beer has been part of celebrations for thousands of years — from ancient warriors singing and sloshing mead to providing liquid courage for modern-day wannabe karaoke stars — breweries and music is match made in beer heaven.

We’ve rounded up 12 brewery music venues to visit in the South. These Southern breweries have made music a part of their lifeblood.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Brewery)

Highland Brewing Company | Asheville, NC

Twenty-three years ago, Highland set the tone for Asheville’s craft beer scene to be forever linked to the area’s deep musical roots.

As the city’s first brewery to open since Prohibition, the decision to include an indoor stage in their tasting room has served them so well that they later built an outdoor stage surrounded by shipping container bars and restrooms that they call The Meadow.

“As we developed our Tasting Room, it seemed only natural to blend our craft with the craft of our talented local musicians,” explains marketing manager Molly McQuillan. “We now work with local, regional, and nationally recognized artists, and have music at least four nights per week.”

Highland Brewing Company in Asheville has an indoor and outdoor stage. (Credit: Highland Brewing Co.)

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery | Richmond, VA

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery regularly offers live music from both their taproom stage and new outdoor stage. The Richmond brewery also hosts many music events including Bluegrass Festival, Heart & Soul Brew Fest and The Shape of Sound’s epic drum circle.

“We are committed to supporting our community and love to show that by giving local creatives and original artists a stage,” marketing manager Matt Shofner tells CraftBeer.com. “As we feature all genres of sounds —bluegrass, djs spinning vinyl, metal, hip hop and more — music helps us reach and attract wider audiences to the brewery.”

(READ: What Is Craft Beer?)

Quest Brewing Co. | Greenville, SC

Quest features an outdoor stage and invites folks to bring blankets (and kids!) to enjoy live music in their backyard. A food truck typically accompanies their Thursday Night Concert Series, and they host a chili cook-off every January paired with a concert. Live music also happens on many Fridays, too.

Mississippi’s Yalobusha Brewing features laid-back live shows on the weekend. (Credit: Yalobusha Brewing)

Motorworks Brewing | Bradenton, FL

What do you do when you have the largest beer garden in the state of Florida? Build an outdoor stage and feature live music nearly every day of the week, of course.

Motorworks doesn’t stop with just tunes; the beer garden also has a handful of cornhole boards, a large projector screen, and a massive 150-year-old oak tree wrapped in lights. Talk about good times!

AquaBrew | San Marcos, TX

Music is a big deal at AquaBrew. A large “Live Music” sign hangs above the door, and their tagline reads, “AquaBrew stimulates all the senses. Artisanal Cuisine. Craft Beer. Community Feel. Live Music. San Marcos Roots.”

Owner Carlos Russo aims to make AquaBrew THE live music venue of downtown and has his sights on booking big names as well as supporting local artists.

Avondale Brewing Co. | Birmingham, AL

Avondale’s mission from the start was to help revitalize Birmingham’s blighted Avondale neighborhood in part by tapping into its rich, 125-year history. Their efforts have paid off as Thrillist dubbed Avondale “Birmingham’s hippest neighborhood” in 2015, the same year the brewery opened its doors.

Since then, their permanent outdoor stage has attracted the likes of notable acts such as Shakey Graves, Gov’t Mule and Galactic, and a sold-out stop on J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only World Tour. The inaugural Southword Summer Series kicks off with Chicago’s Sidewalk Chalk June 22.

Yalobusha Brewing | Water Valley, MS

Yoga at breweries has been a trend for a few years now, but YaloBrew takes it to another level with their live music, yoga and beer events. Fridays and Saturdays often feature laid-back live shows on a small indoor stage surrounded by sacks of grain and kegs in their historic 1860 brick building.

(LEARN: CraftBeer.com’s Big List of Beer Schools)

Tennessee’s Mayday Brewery calls itself a “funky, music-centric pit stop.” (Credit: Mayday Brewery)

Mayday Brewery | Murfreesboro, TN

The self-described “funky, music-centric pit stop” boasts both indoor and outdoor stages and their event page promises, “Beer, hugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll!” These music and beer lovers like to mix it up with events like 80s Prom and Twang ‘n Roll, too.

“I love meeting musicians and have made many lifelong friends with them,” says founder and president Ozzy Nelson. “At Mayday, we have original bands with some covers thrown in here and there every Friday and Saturday, and we don’t charge a cover.”

Goodwood Brewing Company | Louisville, KY

The folks at Goodwood tap into Kentucky’s musical roots with their Bluegrass Brunches and Open Bluegrass Jams every Saturday.

“We believe music and beer go hand in hand,” says Paige Peterson, marketing and events manager at Goodword. “Beer offers a sensory experience of taste, aroma, mouthfeel and music elevates that experience, engaging another one of your senses.”

Peterson says the brewery’s Kentucky roots also inspire their love of music.

“We love embracing all things Kentucky. We take cues from America’s Native Spirit: Kentucky Bourbon. All of our beers are barrel-aged or wood-touched and brewed with limestone water, just like bourbon. So embracing Kentucky’s strong ties to Bluegrass just seemed like a natural fit for our taproom.”

(LEARN: Get to Know 75+ Popular Beer Styles)

Bayou Teche Brewing | Arnaudville, LA

Every Saturday at Bayou Teche Brewing, you’ll find Louisianans and travelers stomping their feet to some of the best bands in the Acadiana region, heavy on the Creole and Cajun varieties. Saturdays also mean Song Trivia and Social Commentary followed by a DJ playing tunes to close out the night. The outdoor stage area is covered and often mingles with sublime smells cooked up by celebrity guest chefs, like soul food king Chef Big G.

Blue Ridge Brewery | Blue Ridge, GA

This brewery doesn’t mess around with other types of events; instead, beer and music lovers know they can enjoy shows every Friday and Saturday on their new outdoor patio stage. One sign sums up Blue Bridge Brewery’s passion for music: “Brewsician,” with hooks for a hanging chalkboard sign touting the name of the evening’s band.

(READ: 6 Churches Turned Craft Breweries)

Vino’s Brewpub | Little Rock, AR

One of Vino’s claims to fame? Green Day played this joint before hitting the big leagues, and during their March show at Little Rock’s Verizon Arena, the band gave the brewpub a shout out.

Recently, the crew brought back their Fresh Blood series, serving basically as a tryout for new-to-Vino’s bands on the last Thursday of every month. Touted as “Arkansas’s premiere alternative entertainment venue,” the divey backroom stage features neon lights and hosts all ages shows.

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