So far we’ve covered ways to learn about bourbon and ways to try different bourbons. Do you have a favorite bourbon yet? I have a top ten. Now it’s time to see where the magic happens and become a bourbon ambassador.
Part 3: Start Touring the Distilleries
When you tour bourbon distilleries in Kentucky, you learn from start to finish what goes into each bottle. You learn the history of the distillery, you see the fermentation process of the mash, you see the barrels aging in new charred oak barrels in the rack house, and you learn about the “angels’ share.” Then you will have the opportunity to taste the bourbon. The tour guides at these distilleries are highly knowledgeable about bourbon as well as the history of Kentucky’s bourbon heritage.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail consists of eight large distilleries and eight small craft distilleries. Just like the Urban Bourbon Trail, you can get a passport and collect stamps at each distillery and receive a free t-shirt when you have visited them all.
Many of the larger distilleries do special events for holidays. Woodford and Makers did special lantern tours for the Christmas Holiday Season, and Woodford is scheduled to do lantern tours for Valentine’s Day as well as Bourbon Academy in April. Buffalo Trace has some of the best events around-everything from an Easter Egg Hunt for the whole family to a 5k to Disturbia at the Distillery for Halloween.
Even if you only visit one distillery per weekend, you could cover the whole Kentucky Bourbon Trail in sixteen weeks. Who wouldn’t want to spend their precious free time learning about Kentucky’s Bourbon Heritage?
Once you’ve learned all there is to know about bourbon from start to finish, you can become a self-proclaimed bourbon ambassador. Invite your friends and family to Kentucky to learn about bourbon. Then they will tell their friends and family and Kentucky will take its rightful place as the Bourbon Tourism Capital of the World.
Click here for Part 1 of this story.
Click here for Part 2 of this story.
Click here for top ten bourbon bars.
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