Kentucky Bourbon Trail Sets New Attendance Record

The recent phenomenal growth of bourbon sales has been matched or perhaps even surpassed by the phenomenal growth of bourbon tourism, as measured by visits to the distilleries on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

In 2013, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail recorded more than 630,000 visits, a new milestone for the tour that showcases the state’s legendary bourbon and craft distilleries. A record 571,701 people visited the 'heritage' distilleries last year, and an additional 61,698 traveled to the participating craft distilleries. That tour was in its first year.

“We’re always thrilled to see double-digit growth among the heritage distilleries, but we’re equally excited to see the fledgling craft tour really take flight,” said Adam Johnson, Director of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program.

The Craft Tour has greatly expanded the Bourbon tourism footprint, from Marshall County and Land Between the Lakes in far western Kentucky to Mason County in the northern part of the state. “With new distilleries coming on board, more and more people are experiencing the charm and beauty of our communities, which adds revenue to local coffers and greatly boosts tourism efforts. It’s all good news and good business for the Commonwealth,” said Johnson.

The new attendance record for heritage distilleries is a 12 percent increase over 2012 and includes figures from Heaven Hill’s Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, which opened in the fall as the first Louisville stop on the tour. Visitors came from all 50 states and 50 countries and territories, including Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, Spain and Vanuatu.

The heritage tour also incudes Four Roses and Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg, Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Jim Beam in Clermont, Maker’s Mark in Loretto, Town Branch in Lexington, and Woodford Reserve in Versailles. The Craft Tour added Danville’s Wilderness Trace Distillery last year, joining Barrel House in Lexington, Corsair in Bowling Green, Limestone Branch in Lebanon, MB Roland in Pembroke, Old Pogue in Maysville, Silver Trail in Hardin, and Willett in Bardstown.

Several distilleries are expanding and opening new visitors’ centers to meet the Bourbon tourism boom. Wild Turkey recently completed a new center overlooking the Kentucky River and Woodford Reserve is expanding its homeplace. In addition, dozens of bourbon-inspired restaurants, bars, hotels, transportation companies, markets, specialty food stores, convention and visitors bureaus, and more, all signed on to be official Kentucky Bourbon Trail sponsors in 2013.

Later this year, Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries will be hosting exclusive tours and events as part of the inaugural Kentucky Bourbon Affair showcase, a four-day Bourbon 'fantasy camp' in May. The event is being co-hosted by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association and the City of Louisville.

“Kentucky is the one, true home for bourbon, and the only place where visitors can walk in the footsteps of legends and learn the art and science of our timeless craft,” Johnson said. “We hope visitors from all over the world let the spirit lead them to Kentucky in 2014 so they can experience the hospitality, history and elegance of our beloved Commonwealth and our unrivaled passion for creating the world’s best bourbon.”

The Second Annual Bourbon Classic Is January 31, February 1 In Louisville.

Bourbon Classic 2014 is a rare opportunity to experience all facets of Bourbon education, from production to promotion; and Bourbon enjoyment, from cocktails to culinary creations.

Don't underestimate the venue either. The Kentucky Center is a wonderful facility in an ideal location and Louisville has never been a more fun place to visit.

This weekend-long event delivers education and entertainment exclusively focused on the bourbon enthusiast. Hundreds of them will gather in Louisville, the gateway to all the heritage and innovation of Kentucky’s Bourbon Country, to explore the 'best of the best' in the world of Bourbon—from the craftsmanship of distilling to the pure enjoyment of the spirit in its many forms.

For tickets and other information, go here.

I'm hosting a history-oriented event on Saturday at 4:15 PM, with Fred Noe from Jim Beam and Freddie Johnson from Buffalo Trace.

Bourbon is booming and Kentucky's most cosmopolitan city is taking full advantage of it. Last week, the Louisville city government and the Kentucky Distillers' Association announced the Kentucky Bourbon Affair, a 'fantasy camp' for bourbon fans, occurring May 14-18.

I'm doing my own bourbon country magical mystery tour March 12-14. It's sold out but Mint Julep Tours has been receiving a lot of inquiries and is ready to schedule the next one, probably in June.

Louisville's Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Joins the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Today, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail adventure barreled into River City, as Heaven Hill's new Evan Williams Bourbon Experience became the eighth stop on that world-famous journey, and the first ever in Louisville.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer made the announcement at the downtown site on historic Whiskey Row where Heaven Hill is building its multi-million dollar artisanal distillery and immersive tourism experience, scheduled to open this fall. (Pictured here in an architectural rendering.)

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week,” Fischer said. “This is a huge step to enhance the city’s Bourbon tourism efforts."

Heaven Hill executives and other leaders of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, which created the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program in 1999, gave Fischer a commemorative barrel filled with whiskey from all eight distillery stops to mark the occasion.

“Today starts a great new tourism partnership for our signature industry and the city of Louisville that will pay benefits for years to come,” said Max L. Shapira, President of Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the largest independent family owned and operated distilled spirits company in the United States.

“The skyrocketing success of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour has been amazing,” he said. “It is a world-class and much-celebrated attraction, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, all eager to spend and savor our unique Bourbon history.”

More than 2.5 million people have visited Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries in the last five years, including a record 509,292 in 2012, said KDA President Eric Gregory. That was the first time the tour broke the half-million mark in a single year.

Gregory called Louisville "a Kentucky Bourbon Trail anchor.” As Kentucky's largest city and business capital, Louisville has much to offer bourbon-oriented visitors. For years, it has offered its Urban Bourbon Trail, a collection of bars deemed hospitable to bourbon seekers. Earlier this year, it debuted "The Bourbon Classic," which is slated to become Louisville's annual bourbon festival. Louisville has many other visitor attractions, such as the Louisville Slugger Museum and Muhammad Ali Center, many great lodging choices, and a dynamic culinary scene.

The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, located at 528 West Main Street, may mark the beginning of a trend of brand welcome centers based in downtown Louisville. The Main Street neighborhood itself is historic for bourbon fans. Evan Williams' original 1783 distillery was located almost directly across the street from the new visitor attraction and that whole section of Main Street housed dozens of whiskey company offices and warehouses through the late 19th century.

The 'Experience' will offer guided tours where guests will travel back in time to see Evan Williams’ original distillery, Louisville town hall meetings, and wharf scenes and video renderings of turn-of-the-century Whiskey Row. The highlight will be a fully functioning artisanal pot still distillery, with gleaming copper pot stills that are a modern version of the same type of equipment Evan Williams used in his distillery more than 200 years ago.

One of the signature features is the façade of the building (pictured above). The five-story-high Evan Williams Bourbon bottle graphic will transform into a large, glass, flowing Bourbon fountain in the lobby. “We’re confident that this new attraction will continue the revitalization of Whiskey Row and bring the same kind of success that we’ve been fortunate to receive with our Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown,” said Harry J. Shapira, Executive Vice President for Heaven Hill.

Marcheta Sparrow, Secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, said the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program is “perhaps the most innovative and best example of private sector tourism development Kentucky has ever experienced."

Bourbon Classic Is Next Weekend

Next weekend, I will be in Louisville for the Bourbon Classic. It starts Friday evening, March 22, at 7:00 PM and continues on Saturday, March 23, starting at 2:30 PM at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, 501 West Main Street in downtown Louisville.

I'm moderating a panel at 5:30 PM on Saturday called "Lives, Legends and Legacies: An Interactive Conversation about the Bourbon Barons." The panel is Bill Samuels Jr., retired Maker's Mark CEO; Mike Veach, bourbon historian; and Freddie Johnson, Buffalo Trace tour guide and third-generation distillery worker. We're going to talk about Kentucky bourbon history, from settlement to the present, or as much as we can in 45 minutes.

The panel is part of something called Bourbon Classic University. You have a choice of three programs for the first session (4:15 PM - 5:00 PM), and four for the second (5:30 PM - 6:15 PM). Mine is during the second session and I do so hope you'll pick me.

I'll be around for all of the other major events too.

There has never been anything quite like the Bourbon Classic. It's the first major event for bourbon enthusiasts presented in Louisville, Kentucky's largest city. It's 14 hours of nothing but Kentucky whiskey, bourbon and rye. It's a new event, inspired by the recent explosion of interest in American whiskey. The complete schedule of activities is here.

One ticket gets you into all of the Friday activities, another gets you into all of the Saturday activities, and you can get a package deal for both. At this late date, you probably should call the box office, toll free, at  800-775-7777. (In Louisville it's 502-584-7777.)

All events are at the beautiful Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, which is downtown on the riverfront, on Louisville's historic 'Whiskey Row,' where most of Kentucky's whiskey companies had their offices and warehouses during the industry's pre-Prohibition heyday.

Heaven Hill Distilleries, which has had offices on Main Street since the 1940s, is presently converting its building into The Evan Williams Experience, opening sometime next year.

Main Street and vicinity is where you'll also find the Louisville Slugger Museum, Louisville Slugger Field, 21c Museum Hotel, Frazier History Museum, Muhammad Ali Center, Kentucky Show, Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts, Louisville Science Center, Yum Center, and many bars, restaurants and hotels. Much of Main Street still looks as it did in the late 19th century. It has the largest concentration of 19th century cast iron facades outside of New York.

This promises to be a very fun weekend and because it's the first time, anything can happen. I'm looking forward to it and hope to see you there.

The Willetts Are Back

During last year's Kentucky Bourbon Festival, I was driving down Loretto Road, leaving Bardstown, and noticed that where the sign for Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) always is, there was a new one that read "Willett Distillery." The ground around the sign looked freshly tilled.

The next day I saw Henry Preiss (formerly of Preiss Imports, which brought A. H. Hirsch Reserve Bourbon to the masses), who I knew was staying with a member of the Willett family. I mentioned that I had seen the new sign. "It looks like they just put it up yesterday," said I. "They did," said he. "I helped."

Because Martha Willett married Even Kulsveen in 1972, the Willetts are now the Kulsveens. Martha and Even's two children, and their daughter's husband, run the company with their father.

Kentucky Bourbon Distillers and the Willett Distillery are slightly different entities. KBD has been in business for 30 years, the Willett Distillery has been in business for about one. It is on the same site as the original Willett Distillery, which before that was the Willett family farm. Just outside of Bardstown, it sits across the road from Heaven Hill.

The new distillery is in a new building. The rest of the property looks about like it did when the original distillery stopped operating 30 years ago, although one of the aging warehouses and some of the other buildings have been refurbished. That's all good, because while the new distillery has a unique and very personal style, the rest of the site looks exactly like a typical Kentucky bourbon distillery from the post-Prohibition period.

The new Willett Distillery filled its first barrel of bourbon on January 27, 2012, the 103rd birthday of Thompson Willett, Martha's father, who founded the original Willett Distilling Company in 1937.

Willett is a micro-distillery member of the Kentucky Distillers' Association (KDA) and a stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. Their still, a copper pot, is larger than what most other Kentucky micros have.

Willett is one of the easiest craft distilleries to visit because it is so close to Heaven Hill and other Bardstown-area whiskey-related attractions. Tours are offered daily.

Another thing Willett has that other micros don't is a sales force with a 30 year track record. KBD, which started as an exporter, is a well-established independent bottler and whiskey broker. Their customer list is a who's-who of non-distiller producers. KBD buys bourbon and rye from distillers, aging some in its own warehouses. It then sells some of that whiskey to its customers, also bottling it for them, and the rest it sells as its own brands, including Old Bardstown, the original Willett Distillery's flagship bourbon. .

There is a lot more to the Willett story, which they tell very well on their fine web site.

Kimberley Bennett Named Director, Jim Beam Heritage Center.

Jim Beam has named Kimberley Bennett as Director of the Jim Beam Heritage Center, the new visitors' experience at Beam's Clermont, Kentucky, distillery that is slated to open this fall.

Bennett will be responsible for the ramp-up plans, training, and ultimate day-to-day operation of the new facility, a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art visitors’ experience. The Center will offer a complete bourbon experience, from the illustrious seven-generation history of the Beam family, to the art of bourbon-making.

Bennett has spent her career leading hospitality programs for well-known organizations, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and as Director of Hospitality Programs for The World Equestrian Games.

“The new Jim Beam Heritage Center will showcase our past, present and future,” said Jeff Conder, Vice President, North American Operations, Beam Inc. “With her unique skill set in consumer experiences, hospitality and events, Kim will be the perfect leader for our new Center as she ensures that everyone who visits Jim Beam comes as friends, but leaves as family.”

According to Conder, the new Jim Beam Heritage Center is part of a significant tourism project that will allow the distillery to host more than 200,000 guests a year – more than double the previous number of guests it has been able to accommodate – and be a key stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

In addition to naming Bennett to the Director post, Beam also named long-time employees Linda Hayes, as the Center’s Trade and Hospitality Manager, and Debbie Faust as Still House and Outpost Manager. Hayes, a Beam veteran with more than 30 years at the company, will oversee the overall visitor experiences for special guests. Faust, who started as the Beam Outpost Manager in 2006, will oversee the Center’s retail operation.

”Linda and Debbie are vital members of the distillery experience,” said Conder. “Together with Kim Bennett, they will make a wonderful team.”

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival Sampler Is April 28. Here Is Why You Shouldn't Go.

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, which happens in September, is preceded each year by the Kentucky Bourbon Festival Sampler, a one-night event, this year to be held on Saturday, April 28.

If this year's Sampler is anything like last year, and there is every reason to believe it will be exactly like last year, it is a waste of your time and money. That's a nice weekend to go to Bardstown and there will be many bourbon enthusiasts in town, but the smart ones won't be at the official event, which has always had problems but last year was an abomination

Imagine a Kiwanis Club Monte Carlo Night in a high school gym, if they started to plan it that morning. It was a big, sorry mess. Many of the producers privately expressed their disgust with it as well. Not one master distiller was in attendance and only a handful of top distillery people of any kind came. Everything about it had an air of desperation.

The Guthrie Opportunity Center, the venue, is a big, open, fluorescent-lit, concrete-floored, concrete block room with high ceilings and zero charm. It looks exactly like the empty industrial space it, in fact, is.

Each distillery has a folding table from which it dispenses samples, seemingly as fast as possible, to the ravenous hoard. There is no place to sit. Last year it was uncomfortably warm.

The reason for the mad dash is that in most, but not all cases, the samples come in nice logo glassware and the main activity engaged in by most attendees is a frantic progression from table to table, to accumulate as many free glasses as possible, as quickly as possible. In many cases they don't even drink the whiskey, they throw it out.

Some of the distilleries, unhappy with this particular turn of events, now use plastic glasses. Sometimes you can't tell they're plastic until you have invested the time in line to get one. This disappoints the mob and makes it surly. 

It's all very 'Day of the Locust.'

There is food, dumped inelegantly around the room like slop in a trough. The fluorescent glare, bright industrial paint job, too-loud bad DJ, and zero seating all say, "we have your money, suckers. Now drink up and go." Attendees aren't treated like valued guests, they're treated like cattle entering the abattoir. 

Speaking of which, as bad as the event is, you have to stand in line for an hour to get inside. Tickets are all pre-purchased, it's not that. It's just poorly organized and no one seems to care.

One of these years, it's going to rain.

The mad dash for free glasses is even more ridiculous when you consider that for the $40 individual ticket price, a couple could buy a nice set of glasses, a nice bottle of bourbon, two Carne Asadas to-go from one of Bardstown's excellent Tex-Mex restaurants, and spend a nice Spring evening on their deck.

In addition to being a miserable experience for anyone who attends, the Sampler is an embarrassment to the industry. American whiskey is an important international product and its premier events are being presented by people who would be over-matched organizing a high school prom.

"Perhaps What The Bar In Heaven Looks Like."

The picture above, taken from their web site, doesn't do it justice. The bar at the Berghoff, at 17 W. Adams in downtown Chicago, has been described as "perhaps what the bar in heaven looks like."

Heaven could do a lot worse.

The Berghoff is famous for receiving Chicago's first retail liquor license immediately after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. It was also a popular, family-owned German restaurant that began in 1898.

In 2005, the Berghoff family announced that the restaurant would close in 2006 and so -- after much memorializing and tributization -- it did.

Sort of.

Happily, they never really closed. They simply compressed what had been a very large restaurant and bar into the bar space. The bar was always separate, with a few tables and booths in addition to the bar itself. Today it is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM until 9:00 PM. On Saturdays it opens a half-hour later, at 11:30 AM. Closed Sunday.

That may seem awfully early for a proper bar to close, but that part of downtown mostly draws a lunch and after-work crowd, with some pre-theater business in the evening. Think of it as you would a London pub. They typically close by nine or ten, if not earlier.

In the old days, the bar served a typical bar lunch -- sandwiches, soups, salads, some munchies. At lunch they had a carving station. The 'new' Berghoff has a very substantial menu, essentially the same as the old restaurant, with all of the expected German specialties. At lunch time, a very similar menu is served at the Berghoff Café downstairs, a space created originally to absorb overflow when the restaurant was full. It is all still owned and run by the Berghoff family. They also have a catering business.

The Berghoff Bar was always famous for having its own Berghoff-brand beer and bourbon, which they sourced with care. Both were outstanding. The beer became popular enough to be sold in stores. The bourbon was for many years wheated bourbon made at Stitzel-Weller in Louisville. After the Van Winkle family sold the distillery, the Berghoff continued to buy its house bourbon first from Julian Van Winkle Junior, then from his son, Julian Van Winkle III.

Bars and restaurants should get back to having a house bourbon, just like they do a house wine.

Before the Van Winkle brands took off, the Van Winkle's post Stitzel-Weller business was mostly private label bottling. The Berghoff was their biggest customer.

If you've never been, you really should visit the Berghoff if you ever have a chance. That way, when you get to heaven, you'll know what to expect.

Bike The Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) and the Bluegrass Cycling Club have teamed up to provide back-road bike routes for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour. The routes are designed to take you through the rolling hills and scenic countryside of Central Kentucky on your way to visit six historic distilleries.

Maps and cue sheets can be found at the Kentucky Bourbon Trail web site under the Map and Guide tab. Links to the maps are also posted on the Bluegrass Cycling Club web site.

“We’ve been surprised at the growing number of requests for bicycling routes,” said Eric Gregory, KDA President. “So we turned to the experts who know the rural roads and who know the roads that work best for bicyclists.”

The various route options provide experienced cyclists with a unique ride opportunity unavailable anyplace else in the world. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour features six distilleries, each offering a unique educational experience. They are: Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve.

You’ll have to figure these routes out on your own, but can also bike to Buffalo Trace Distillery and Barton 1792 Distillery, even though their parent company, Sazerac, isn’t a KDA member.

Country Ham: Another Great Kentucky Product.

I call the above “a baggie of bliss.” Many convenience stores in Kentucky sell them at the cash register. It’s just a slice of Kentucky country ham between two pieces of white bread, and it is sublime.

Although bourbon whiskey is Kentucky’s best known consumable, it’s not the only Kentucky product that I crave. I’ve written before about other local specialties such as the Hot Brown Sandwich. Today I rise in praise of Kentucky country ham.

Country ham is a characteristic Southern food and not limited to Kentucky, but most of my experience has been with the Kentucky version. Kentucky country ham is salt-cured and its saltiness is what you notice first. It’s too much for some people. But behind the salt there is a wonderful, rich flavor that quickly spoils you for any other type of ham.

Most of the country ham producers in Kentucky are small and family-owned. It’s a good product for mail order because it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. You can buy everything from packages of ‘biscuit slices’ up to whole hams. Finchville Farms is a brand I can usually pick up at Kroger’s in Kentucky when I’m visiting there and it’s the one I’ve enjoyed most recently, but there are many others that are just as good. Country ham is also surprisingly inexpensive.

Although country ham doesn’t have to be refrigerated it is raw and needs to be cooked before eating. I always get slices, which can be fried in a hot, dry skillet in a few minutes, just until the meat starts to brown. Don’t overcook, because it gets tough if you do.

Although it’s very simple, it took me a while to master red eye gravy, mostly because I kept expecting it to be something it’s not. After you finish cooking the ham, remove it from the skillet and add a small amount of water to deglaze the skillet. Some people use coffee instead. Use a spoon or spatula to loosen the flavorful residue and keep stirring it as the liquid reduces. It will thicken only slightly. Then pour it over the ham. It’s not gravy in the normal sense. Mostly it’s used to enhance the flavor of the meat while also giving it back some of its moisture, making it more tender.

Kentucky country ham and Kentucky bourbon complement each other well because both are highly flavorful. Kentucky country ham is usually eaten at breakfast, but finger sandwiches of country ham tucked inside beaten biscuits are popular at parties. Kurtz’s Restaurant, in Bardstown, offers a dinner of country ham and fried chicken that is hard to resist.

Dispute Between KDA And The Sazerac Company Is Settled.

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) and Sazerac Company, Inc., today announced that the groups have reached a settlement over disputed trademark issues. Although terms of the settlement are confidential and will not be released to the public, the result is evident from the announcement's wording. KDA continues to own the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® trademark, but Sazerac is allowed to refer to the 'bourbon trail' generically when promoting tourism at its three Kentucky facilities.

The announcement brings an end to litigation filed in U.S. District Court in May 2010 by the KDA against Sazerac, a Louisiana-based company that owns the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, and Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro. In response to KDA’s lawsuit, Sazerac countersued the KDA. The counterclaims against KDA have also been resolved as a result of today’s settlement.

Sazerac Company resigned from the KDA, a non-profit trade association based in Frankfort, in December 2009. Members of the KDA include Beam Global Spirits & Wine (Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark), Brown-Forman, Diageo North America, Four Roses, Heaven Hill and Wild Turkey.

“We’re pleased that an amicable resolution has been reached in this important matter,” said KDA President Eric Gregory. “The KDA and its members look forward to continue building the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience and promoting our signature industry’s rich history to visitors from around the world.”

“Sazerac’s three Kentucky distilleries, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Barton 1792 Distillery and The Glenmore Distillery look forward to continue developing their distillery tours along the bourbon trail,” said Marketing Service Director, Meredith Moody.

Detour For Kentucky Visitors.

As I told you last month, fall is a great time to visit bourbon country, but there is a ground transportation problem you need to know about.

One of the three Ohio River bridges at Louisville, the Sherman Minton (I-64), is closed for repairs for the foreseeable future. This is an unplanned, emergency closure, so detour plans are being improvised.

Traffic is mainly being diverted to the John F. Kennedy Bridge (I-65), which is leading to long backups on it, depending on time of day, especially for drivers trying to access I-64 or I-71 on the Kentucky side. My tip is stay to the left as you cross and exit at either Liberty Street or St. Catherine Street, and take surface streets back to the interstate. You'll need a good map, of course, but it's pretty easy.

As for alternatives, there are bridges between Cincinnati and Louisville at Lawrenceburg and Madison, Indiana. The next one south of the Sherman Minton (I-64) is the Matthew E. Welsh Bridge at Brandenburg, KY. These are two lane bridges not directly connected to any interstate and, as such, probably won't be the publicized detours.

Brandenburg is an especially good choice if you are coming from the west and heading to Bardstown or anywhere south of Louisville, as it is just west of Fort Knox. Work your way from there to Elizabethtown, where you can pick up the Bluegrass Parkway to points east.

There is also the William Natcher Bridge at Owensboro, KY, which is new and a real beauty.

These detours have the added benefit of taking you through some very scenic countryside and while the roads aren't interstates they are generally pretty good.

The third bridge at Louisville, by the way, is just west of the Kennedy. Officially it's the George Rogers Clark Bridge but locals call it Second Street Bridge. It might be an alternative. It's easy to find on the Louisville side (just go north on Second Street), a bit harder in Jeff (local shorthand for Jeffersonville, Indiana).

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival Is Next Week.

Technically, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, Kentucky, starts Monday. Not much happens before Friday, though, which is when the only festival-like part opens up; the booths, rides, and food stands on the Spalding Hall lawn. Most everything before that is a ticketed event.

To refresh your memory about how I regard the festival, read this post from June.

I'll probably go down on Wednesday. Before I head to Bardstown I'm going to check out the new Bulleit Experience at Stitzel-Weller Distillery.

The Festival gets a lot of well-deserved criticism from me, but I always go. My favorite official event -- one that is both public and free -- is the barrel rolling competition. It takes place on Saturday morning on a sports field adjacent to the festival grounds.

Teams from the different area distilleries compete in events that closely mimic how full barrels are managed in the aging warehouses. Barrels used in the competition are the same barrels they really use, only empty.

There usually are some master distillers hanging around, cheering on their teams. It's a lot more fun and authentic than the stupid prom on Saturday night that is supposed to be the Festival's signature event.

If you're in the area, like within a couple hours drive, it wouldn't be crazy just to run down there as a day trip to check it out. Even on the weekend, when the festival is at it's peak, getting in and out and around in Bardstown isn't too difficult.

Woodstock it's not.

You can even make an overnight stay a spur-of-the-moment decision. You probably won't be able to find a room in Bardstown proper, but there are tons of lodging choices at every exit on I-65 near there that will have vacancies.

Fall Is A Great Time To Visit Bourbon Country.

One problem with visiting distilleries during the traditional summer vacation month of August is that most of them are quiet. Even though modern technology makes it possible to distill year round, and some do, hot weather is unpleasant for the workers so many distilleries shut down for at least a few weeks during the hottest part of the year.

That, of course, means they all start to crank back up in the fall. Buffalo Trace even makes a festival of it. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown is always the third week in September, 9/12-18 this year. Although it’s technically all week, most stuff happens on the weekend.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail, sponsored by the Kentucky Distillers Association, will get you to most of the distilleries that give tours. Buffalo Trace and Barton 1792, both owned by Sazerac, give tours but aren’t on the trail. There are also several distilleries that don’t give tours but you can see them from the road.

As important as seeing the distilleries is seeing at least one cooperage (where they make the barrels). Brown-Forman Cooperage, in Louisville, where they build barrels for Jack Daniel’s and other Brown-Forman products, welcomes visitors through Mint Julep Tours. Kentucky Cooperage, in Lebanon, has two public tours a day, no reservations needed. You also get to visit Lebanon, which is charming. I recommend the Cedarwood Restaurant, located just west of the cooperage. It’s a real-deal Kentucky country restaurant, not some city folk’s idea of one.

I also like that Kentucky and Tennessee usually get two or three more weeks of nice weather in the spring and fall than Chicago does. When that first cold hawk (aka Mr. Hawkins) blows in from Lake Michigan, find I-65 and head south.

Michter’s To Build Micro-Distillery On Louisville’s Whiskey Row.

Louisville’s newspaper, the Courier-Journal, reported Wednesday that Michter’s Distillery (i.e., Chatham Imports) will invest $7.8 million to renovate the historic Fort Nelson Building at Eighth and Main streets, and establish Louisville's first downtown distillery since before Prohibition.

The big announcement brought out the governor, Steve Beshear; Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer; and the president of Louisville’s Chamber of Commerce, all of whom spoke, along with Chatham president Joe Magliocco.

The site is across Main Street from the Louisville Slugger Museum. Public tours and tastings are scheduled to start in spring of 2013.

Louisville’s Main Street was ‘Whiskey Row’ during the Kentucky whiskey industry’s 19th century heyday. Dozens of companies had offices, warehouses, and rectification facilities there, primarily because it was adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront.

Heaven Hill wasn’t there then but they have had their Louisville offices on Whiskey Row for many years. Louisville-based Brown-Forman, founded in 1870, now has a building there too. Members of the Brown family have privately been leaders in the preservation and redevelopment of the old Whiskey Row district.

The street is architecturally-significant as it has the largest concentration of 19th century cast-iron facades outside of New York City.

It’s a nice, attractive part of downtown with a real feel for Louisville’s history.

For several years, Lincoln Henderson’s Louisville Distilling Company (Angel’s Envy Bourbon) has talked about opening a micro-distillery on Main Street. It hasn’t happened. In this case, too, I'll believe it when I see it. Right now it’s just a ‘plan.’ No details were given.

Assuming it does happen, this is smart strategically for Chatham. This has been a fairly obvious idea, just sitting there, for one of the non-distiller producers to adopt. The idea is to use a micro-distillery to create a ‘home place’ for a non-distiller brand. That’s marketing jargon for a physical location fans of a brand can visit, thereby deepening their relationship with the brand. Brands that have picturesque distilleries, such as Jack Daniel’s, Maker’s Mark, and Woodford Reserve, have that built in. A brand like Michter’s has to create it.

Louisville’s Whiskey Row is not only perfect historically, it also happens to be near many of Louisville’s most popular tourism attractions.

There are several other brands, most notably Diageo’s Bulleit, that should have done something like this but Chatham beat them to it. Good for them.

Something similar was done once before, by Michter’s. In 1976, they installed a micro-distillery at the distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. It was capable of producing one barrel of whiskey per day. It would demonstrate the distilling process to visitors when the big distillery was shut down, which in those dark days it usually was.

That original Michter’s micro-distillery also made news recently, although no big politicians showed up. I told you about that here.

Michter’s participated in the KBF Sampler in Bardstown for the first time this past April, signaling that they intended to establish a Kentucky presence. There they told people that they “moved to Kentucky from Pennsylvania in 1989.” So they still have a lot of the phony-baloney going. That doesn’t change the fact that this is a smart and bold move, and so far they’ve played it well.

Michter’s doesn’t have a distillery but it has a distiller, Willie Pratt, who had a previous association with Brown-Forman. He also participated in Wednesday’s announcement.

The only connection between the current Michter's and the original is the name, which Chatham Imports acquired a few years ago. Chatham is one of those small, non-distiller producers that markets a number of specialized brands. If the main photo on their web site home page is any indication, Michter’s has become their flagship.

Chatham is small but they know the business. They were smart enough to recognize how much the Michter’s name was worth and now they are willing to invest to develop its full potential.

Since reviving the Michter’s brand (not in 1989, 1999 more like it) Chatham has worked with Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) of Bardstown as their whiskey broker, bottler, and DBA. No one at Chatham, nor at KBD, has any connection to the distillery in Schaefferstown.

KBD doesn’t distill either. Heaven Hill is always assumed to be the source of KBD’s whiskey. KBD gets a lot of whiskey from Heaven Hill, which is located right across the street, but KBD’s whiskey comes from other sources as well. People who have been in their warehouses recently report seeing barrels from Barton, Brown-Forman, and other producers.

Chatham doesn’t treat Michter’s like a mere brand name. They foster the illusion that it is a real distillery with roots in the 18th century. Here is the real history.

Michter’s is a brand name created in 1950 by a guy named Lou Forman. He combined the first names of his two sons, Michael and Peter, to come up with something that sounded vaguely Pennsylvania Dutch, which was appropriate for a distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania.

For most of its history the distillery there was called Bombergers, after the family that owned it from 1861 until Prohibition closed it. Forman bought it in 1950 and renamed it Michter’s. He sold it in 1956 and the name was changed to Pennco Distillers. Forman bought it back in 1975 and it was known as Michter’s thereafter, until it closed for good in 1990.

When Chatham executives (or doting Louisville officials) talk about the whiskey given to Washington’s soldiers at Valley Forge, they’re talking about whiskey made at Johann Shenk’s distillery, which was founded on the Schaefferstown site in 1753.

Today the distillery site in Schaefferstown is in ruins.

Why is there so much interest in a little Pennsylvania distillery that has been dead for more than 20 years? So much interest that the mere name seems to have magic in it?

First, it had a genuinely rich heritage, which it exploited through heavy promotion of tourism during the last ten years of its existence. Also during that period it did a big business in collectible decanters. So a lot of people knew about the place.

Second, the master distiller there for many years was Everett Beam, of Kentucky’s legendary whiskey-making Beams.

Third, one of the most lionized bourbons of the last 20 years, A. H. Hirsch Reserve, was whiskey made there in 1974.

None of this, of course, has anything to do with today’s Michter’s.

From a production standpoint, the micro-distillery is a gimmick. If they ever use any of the whiskey made there in the mainstream product, it will be a long time in the future and a drop in the bucket. The main thing is that Michter's will have a home place in Kentucky, a valuable marketing asset.

Presumably, since they were able to trot out all of the big dogs for the announcement event, this plan is more than talk. So despite my reservations, especially about the way they continue to play fast and loose with historical facts, I commend Chatham for this move. It’s a bet on bourbon, and I’m all for that.

Wild Turkey Unveils New Distillery.

Although the new Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, has been up and running, and giving tours, for about a month, today was its official unveiling. Executives from Campari, the parent company, were there. So were Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Lawrenceburg Mayor Edwinna Baker.

The capacity of the new distillery, 11 million gallons a year, is more than twice the old one. This expansion was actually planned several years ago but delayed about two years due to the ownership change. The new beer still and doubler are the exact same capacity as the old ones. The increase in overall capacity comes from more and bigger mash cookers and fermenters. The stills may be the same size but they're going to be a lot busier.

The price tag for the expansion is $50 million.

The capacity expansion on Wild Turkey Hill is a good thing, as is the new Wild Turkey 81 (81 proof, that is, parallel to the 101 proof flagship). I've always disdained the 80 proof, brown label expression. This one is a lot better. Unofficial distillery sources report it's the same whiskey as 101, just diluted, whereas the old 80 proof was a much younger whiskey.

Especially if you like the milder proof, 81 is a fine addition to the line.

Less edifying is a new TV commercial they've just released, which encourages people to use a well known rude hand gesture to order 'the bird.' After this triggers a few bar brawls they may reconsider.

The commercial also features a model whose hairstyle is right out of the 70s. What's that about? You can see it for yourself on Facebook.

The picture at top shows Master Distiller Jimmy Russell (left) and Associate Distiller Eddie Russell (Jimmy's son) christening an oversized bourbon barrel at today's official ceremony. The picture below shows a tour group from Cincinnati visiting the new facility.

Meet Bill Samuels, Jr.

This summer, recently retired Maker's Mark Chairman Emeritus Bill Samuels, Jr. will conduct the bourbon tastings that conclude the Kentucky distillery's free public tours. He won't appear at every tasting (they do 39 a week), but his schedule will be posted on the Maker's Mark web site and Facebook page, so you can plan to be there when he is.

(The schedules don't appear to be up yet.)

For those of you who don't know, Bill Samuels, Jr. is a master showman, a true character. Time spent with him is never dull and always entertaining.

The tour takes visitors step-by-step through the bourbon-making process, including the milling, cooking and fermentation of grains; distillation; aging; and a look at Maker’s Mark’s unique dipping line, where every single bottle of bourbon is hand-dipped and sealed in red wax.

Each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes and concludes with a tasting of Maker’s Mark and Maker’s 46. Visitors also have the chance to dip their own bottle of Maker’s Mark at the gift shop.

Bill Samuels, Jr. retired earlier this year after 35 years as president of Maker's Mark Distillery. His father, Bill Samuel's, Sr., started the distillery in 1953. Maker's Mark is owned by Beam Global.

The Maker's Mark Distillery is part of the Kentucky Distillers Association's Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Kentucky Bourbon Festival: To Go Or Not To Go.

It's that time of year again, as people plan their summer vacations a few wonder, "should I go to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (9/13-18)?"

I went to the KBF the first couple years of its existence, 20 years ago. It was, for the most part, a snore. I didn't go for ten years, until people on straightbourbon.com started to talk about it as a meet up opportunity. That was in 2000 and 2001.

Coming so soon after 9/11, the 2001 event was surreal. Only people who drove could even get there. A couple of distilleries pulled out. But the weather was perfect and the atmosphere was very kind and solicitous. People were being preternaturally nice to each other.

I believe I have attended every year since.

That said, I attend very few official events. I went to the 'gala' once. Awful. I've gone to the Four Roses breakfast several times. It's very good, there's just no point in going to it every year because it's always essentially the same. I usually go to the barrel rolling competition on Saturday morning. It's great.

The only part of the festival that kind of looks like a festival takes place Friday and Saturday on the grounds of Spaulding Hall, spilling over to an adjacent city park. Spaulding Hall holds the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. In front of Spaulding is where all of the participating distilleries have their booths. They sell souvenirs -- t-shirts and such -- no whiskey. There are usually some of the distillers around.

There are also a lot of other booths; craftspeople, community groups, local and not-so-local businesses. Bourbon Barrel Foods, for example, has a booth. They sell this awesome soy sauce aged in used bourbon barrels. The local show car club sets up. The Army is there recruiting. There is a stage with live music. There is a midway with carny rides and carny food.

It's exactly like a thousand other Midwestern community festivals.

One of the worst abominations of the official festival is the "Spirit Garden," a fenced in, shade-free baseball field, exactly like the soccer stadium holding pens that are used when totalitarian governments round up protesters during anti-government demonstrations. You have to buy strips of tickets that you can then use to buy drinks, served in plastic glasses. There's very little seating.

It's how I imagine the bars are in hell.

They also sell Bud Light and more people drink that than bourbon. In another absurdist touch, they absolutely refuse to serve rye whiskey at this or any other official festival event.

But especially if the weather is pleasant, I enjoy hanging out on the 'festival grounds' for a few hours, though not in the Spirit Garden.

In the evening, the informal events crank up and go into the wee hours. They are the highlight of the festival.

Women and Whiskey.

A favored (or is it 'fevered') dream of whiskey marketers, much like the growth of Asian markets, has been growth among young female drinkers. Hard core whiskey enthusiasm is still mainly male, but that may be changing.

It has been said about the success of the American women's soccer team that in countries where soccer is big -- which is everywhere except the USA -- everyone knows women don't play soccer. Because soccer is such a minor sport here, no one knows that, so the American women don't have that mental block to overcome.

I taught a bourbon class last night and the most enthusiastic students were two young women, one of whom plans to do the Bourbon Trail on her motorcycle this summer. I described to her the drive to Woodford Reserve. It has been a long time since I've gotten a woman that excited.

Young women are getting into whiskey because they don't know women don't drink whiskey. It's not the same as self-consciously defying a social norm when you don't know the social norm exists. That is whiskey's best hope for significant growth in the female demographic.

Doing The Derby.

The 137th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville on May 7.

It's always the first Saturday in May.

Sometimes it's cold enough to snow. Sometimes it's hot enough to melt. I know, I've been there for both.

Nearly everybody in Kentucky celebrates Derby. Some just celebrate it more than others.

Two groups that do up the Derby are the Kentucky Society of Washington and the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (of which I am a member).

Naturally, the Society has its Derby event in Far Eastern Kentucky, i.e., Alexandria, Virginia. Its 30th Annual 'Pre-Kentucky Derby Party' will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 1 PM- 5 PM, on the grounds of the Collingwood Estate.

The theme, "Celebrating Three Decades of Kentucky Hospitality in Our Nation's Capital" recognizes an event that started in a backyard with about 75 people and has since become a highlight of Washington’s spring social season.

On that day, more than 1,000 Kentuckians and their guests will gather in their favorite Derby attire, sip mint juleps, listen to Bluegrass music and soak up the Southern surroundings accented with red roses and Kentucky mementos.

Kentucky Society members prepare much of the party's menu themselves, emphasizing traditional Kentucky fare such as burgoo, country ham, beaten biscuits and derby squares.

"Our party has established itself as Washington’s very special kick-off to Derby week," said 2011 Society President and University of Kentucky graduate, Winn Williams. "It’s like a day at the races, except our version is on the banks of the Potomac!"

On Derby weekend itself the Colonels kick in. (No doubt most Society members are Colonels as well.) The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels has two events, one for Friday's Kentucky Oaks ($340) and the other for Derby on Saturday ($595). Each is an all-day private party at the Kentucky Derby Museum (adjacent to the track), plus a reserved track seat for the day.

All Colonels in good standing may purchase up to ten tickets.

The rank of Kentucky Colonel goes back to 1813. Originally, they were aides to the governor and evolved into his personal entourage. Colonels took the title seriously and commissions were for life. In the 1920s, a movement began to convert the group into something more like a charity and the name Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels was adopted.

According to the official history of the Honorable Order, "Minutes of the early meetings confirm that charitable programs were to be a central part of the organization. Social events would also play an important role. The group held a Derby Eve dinner for the first time in 1932."

Contemporary Colonels are encouraged to donate to the Honorable Order's Good Works Program, which gives grants to worthy causes such as hunger programs and hospitals. An annual donation makes you a Colonel in good standing and entitles you to buy tickets to events like the Oaks and Derby parties, and the Colonels BBQ, which will take place on Sunday, May 8, in Bardstown.

Colonel Sanders was a Kentucky Colonel. So were E. H. Taylor, Jim Beam, and most Kentucky bourbon makers, then and now. I'm a Kentucky Colonel, commissioned by Governor Paul Patton in 1997.

And I make a pretty good mint julep.