Mint Julep Tours
Last month, I had the chance to go on a bourbon distillery tour trip to Louisville, Kentucky with 3 other gentlemen. We decided to take a guided multi-distillery tour provided by Mint Julep Tours. Our tour package included a tasting at the Barton 1792 distillery, lunch at a local eatery, a tasting and tour at the new Lux Row distillery and another tasting and tour at the Maker’s Mark distillery. Also, since we were making good time at all of the scheduled stops, the tour guide had our driver take us to a few extra unplanned places in between. Those extra stops included Heaven Hill, Willett and Jim Beam.
First Stop (Barton 1792 Tasting)
The day started with a 9:15 departure time from the Mint Julep Tours gift shop located at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. We left the Galt House and headed out toward our first stop, Barton 1792 Distillery. Our tour guide, Charlie Robbins, was a fellow Stave & Thief Society Certified Bourbon Steward and was very engaging with the group during the drive. He was very knowledgeable and was able to answer most questions that were asked throughout the day.
The Barton 1792 Distillery recently made headlines for the unfortunate 2-stage collapse of one of their barrel-aging warehouses. You can’t actually see the fallen warehouse from any public areas, but we did get to talk about it a little while we were enjoying a few samples of their Barton Bourbon Ball Cream liqueur, Very Old Barton bourbon and 1792 Small Batch bourbon.
Second Stop (Heaven Hill Gift Shop)
By finishing up a little early at Barton, we had the chance to stop by the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center and gift shop before lunch. This was a quick stop, but we did have time to look at the displays of old distillery equipment and several dusty, partially evaporated bottles of old bourbon.
Lunch (Kurtz Resaurant)
After the Heaven Hill stop, it was time for lunch at Kurtz Restaurant in Bardstown, Kentucky. This is an old-fashioned local eatery that has been serving homestyle Southern meals and classic cocktails since 1937. I had the Kurtz family-recipe cole slaw, Kentucky country ham special and the bourbon bread pudding for dessert that were all delicious.
Third Stop (Willett Gift Shop)
After lunch, we had a a little extra time for another unplanned stop at the Willett Distillery. We had just enough time to visit the gift shop and take a few pictures of some of the buildings on the property.
Fourth Stop (Lux Row Distillers Tour)
Next, we were on our way to our first distillery tour at the newly opened Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, Kentucky. Lux Row just opened for public tours starting in Spring 2018. Lux Row is responsible for such products as Rebel Yell, Ezra Brooks, David Nicholson and Blood Oath. You can find my review of Blood Oath Pact No. 4 here.
This new distillery sits on a 90-acre site that was previously the Ballard farm. The 200-year-old Ballard House is a stone structure that still remains on the property. You will see the house, and potentially a peacock (or seven), as you pull into the parking lot. This home is included on the National Register of Historic Places, and is being renovated with a new roof and stone exterior refurbishment.
Lux Row’s walking tour reveals their every step in the whiskey making process. We got to see everything from fermenting to distilling to aging through their 18,000-square-foot facility. Lux Row uses two mash bills: wheated, for brands like Rebel Yell and David Nicholson 1843, and ryed, for brands like Ezra Brooks and David Nicholson Reserve. For the distillation process, a 43-foot-tall Vendome Copper & Brass Works copper column still was installed in a silo-style room on the side of the new distillery. When fully complete, they plan to have six barrel-aging warehouses. We got to tour the first completed barrel warehouse, while construction was still being completed on the second.
After completing the walking tour, we were brought to the tasting room to try four samples. Three were selected by the distillery, with a chocolate pairing for each. Finally, the fourth sample was our choice (though Blood Oath was not on the list). The first three bourbons were: Rebel Yell, Ezra Brooks and David Nicholson Reserve. For my fourth sample, I chose the Ezra Brooks Straight Rye Whiskey. After the tasting, our tour was over and we headed into the gift shop. I found out that if you buy Blood Oath Pact No. 4 at the distillery, you can choose to take a bottle signed by the creator and master blender John E. Rempe for no extra charge. Obviously, I chose the signed bottle!
Fifth Stop (Maker’s Mark Distillery Tour)
Now we were off to the fifth stop and second distillery tour of our journey: Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. On the drive to the distillery, we passed the barrel-aging warehouses that are off-site from the distillery itself. Upon arrival, all Maker’s Mark Ambassadors are greeted for the tour with an Ambassador’s pin to wear while on the property. This allowed us to recognize other Ambassadors and we occasionally got a comment, or even a thank you, from an employee of the distillery. The Maker’s Mark Distillery property is a beautiful sight to see in person. Photos can’t really do it justice.
In 1954, Bill Samuels, Sr. baked several loaves of bread with different combinations of grains to try to find a flavor profile that he wanted to call his own. He used those experiments to ultimately arrive at the Maker’s Mark mash bill that uses red winter wheat instead of a spicier rye as the secondary grain. The Maker’s Mark product lineup includes: Maker’s Mark, Maker’s 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, Maker’s Mark Private Select and Maker’s White (only available at the distillery). Maker’s Mark has one of the most recognizable bottles on the shelf. With their iconic red-wax-dipped top, it easily stands out in a crowd of other products.
After making it through the walking tour of the fermentation, distillation, barrel aging, label making, stave finishing and bottling processes, we were brought to one of four tasting rooms. Maker’s Mark allows you taste all five of their offerings before you walk through the beautiful Dale Chihuly glass-ceiling-art hallway on the way into the gift shop. In the gift shop, if you buy a bottle (or almost any other item), they will let you hand-dip it yourself into the signature red wax. I purchased a bottle of Maker’s White to dip since it was the only product that is available for purchase exclusively at the distillery.
Sixth Stop (Jim Beam After Hours Drive)
By the time we left Maker’s Mark, it was the end of a long day. However, the tour guide and driver decided to swing through the Jim Beam property in Clermont, Kentucky after closing time so we could get a glimpse of one more distillery property on our way back to the Galt House in Louisville.
The End of a Great Day
Our tour bus arrived at the Galt House Hotel at around 6:15 p.m. We gathered our belongings and started walking back to our hotel through all of the concert-goers in the crowed streets near the Yum Center. I had so much swag (and bourbon) in the bags I was carrying that the cops working vehicle and pedestrian traffic were even asking if I had brought any bottles back for them! Yeah, it was a good day.
Keep an eye out for a later post where I will talk about working on completing the Urban Bourbon Trail and visiting a couple of Whiskey Row distilleries while in Louisville. Cheers!
The Barrel Strength Gentleman
