Louisville has some of the best whiskey bars around. I mean, I wrote an article about my favorite ten of them and I didn’t even scratch the surface. So I was surprised to see only two of them on this top 21 list over the weekend. Perhaps the most shocking thing I learned was that other states have Whiskey bars, too.
But congratulations are definitely in order here. Haymarket Whiskey Bar made the list. Writer Lee Breslouer had this to say about it: “Sure, they've got the requisite 150+ whiskeys from all over the world (including rarer Pappys and Jefferson selects) and master distillers dropping by for tastings, but what separates them from your average KY bourbon palace is the ambience: live music four nights a week, Doctor Who pinball, a stacked vintage jukebox, and a Centipede arcade -- gross, they made a video game out of that movie?!” Every time I’ve been to Haymarket there has been live music, so I’m with him on that.
Also making the list was The Silver Dollar, home of my favorite fried okra and chicken and waffles. Breslouer had this to say about the Dollar: “There is no better place in the world to enjoy Kentucky whiskey (or bourbons/ryes), especially because that's the only kind of whiskey you'll find behind the bar. If you momentarily forget you're in Kentucky while sipping on an Elijah Craig 12yr, the honky tonk records playing on vinyl behind the bar will remind you.”
Another venerable Kentucky establishment made the list. Lexington’s Bluegrass Tavern is reported to have 230, yes TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY, bourbons on the menu. I’ve often said if you think you don’t like bourbon, keep trying. But if you can’t find a bourbon you like here, you may actually not like bourbon.
Other famous Whiskey bars, such as The Patterson House in Nashville and Highlands in New York, are rightfully on the list. Now I’d like to see someone turn this list into a reality show on the Travel Channel, visiting a different one and the surrounding areas for each episode. I’d watch that.
Photos Courtesy of Haymarket's and The Silver Dollar's Facebook Pages.
