Kentucky, bourbon, barbecue.....


 
J

JKalchik

TVWBB Emerald Member
G/f & I are heading to Kentucky for a week at the end of October, staying in the Bardstown area. Anybody got suggestions for good spots to eat (we like to find the local joints,) distilleries, craft beer, etc? Right now, the Kentucky Cooperage, Buffalo Trace, Maker's Mark (if nothing else, I'm told it's a great photo op,) 3 Boys Farm, Pritchett's, and Willett's are on the list.

Hrrrrm...... a pile of used barrel staves to throw in the smoke box......
 
No idea on where to eat but, the folks at the distilleries will probably give some good suggestions. Depending on your fluency in “Kentuckese” you may or may not find the place they try to send you to.😉
I’m just kidding, I’ve been playing Bluegrass music for well over 40 years and “Kentuckese” is a lot easier than ‘Bama!!
Barrel staves? Oh good lord YES!!! I’d bring back as much as I could!
 
I do already have a contact in Kentucky (been working with her for years, wonderful lady,) so I've already got a head start on things. Always looking for other input.
 
JKalchik said:
I do already have a contact in Kentucky (been working with her for years, wonderful lady,) so I've already got a head start on things. Always looking for other input.
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I always enjoyed spending the weekend in Lexington, “Festival of the Bluegrass” I saw some of the greats there! Enjoyed a few sips of various ”Spirits” there as well. Enjoy the trip, I want a full report upon your return!🥃👍
 
One of the things that I thoroughly enjoyed when we took 2 weeks in Ireland were the tiny little pubs with local musicians stompin' the joint. Wonder if I might be lucky enough to find some evening bluegrass....
 
JKalchik said:
One of the things that I thoroughly enjoyed when we took 2 weeks in Ireland were the tiny little pubs with local musicians stompin' the joint. Wonder if I might be lucky enough to find some evening bluegrass....
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when are you going? I’ll see if I can find some music!
third street tap house has music “most nights”, there seem to be quite a few places actually.
I just googled it, try that the week before you go?
 
Make distillery reservations ASAP! They will fill up on the weekends even in October. Bardstown Bourbon Co restaurant is really good food. Hughly suggest thier rickhouse tour. You get to thieve samples from three barrels and they give you a glencarne with the tour. Scout and Scholar is also a top contender. Food is not quite as good as BBC but the inhouse beer and bourbon selection is none other. Mammy's is good for southern fare and there's burger place downtown bardstown that is really good for a quick lunch.

Jim Beam just redid thier campus a couple years ago in Clermont. And the tours are really good. The new restaurant is also really good. It's right off I65 and can be a quick on the way in or out of town tour.

Any questions let me know!
 
Our plans are to travel on the weekends, & tour during the week.

I've booked the Rick House Tour for Wednesday morning.

By the time we get home, my liver is gonna be crying for mercy if not completely expired.
 
Now that my liver has mostly dried out and stopped crying (there must be .... fifty ways to lose your liver.)

Great trip. Something like 13+ distilleries in 4 & a half days. On Tuesday, we went from Whiskey Thief (2 thumbs up!) at about 50 gallons per day to Buffalo Trace (g/f scored us a Hard Hat tour,) at about 120,000 gallons of 140 proof daily. No, that's not a typo, BT has a pair of stills, each 7' in diameter and 40' tall, putting out 60,000 gallons each per day. We did try to spend more time in the smaller distilleries. The Bardstown Bourbon rick house tour..... that was a great recommendation. If you're doing the Bourbon Trail Tour, see if you can get lucky enough to get in on a Lux Row Happy Hour event.

Final bottle tally was 25 bottles, we'd purchased 23 of them. My local contact scored my g/f a bottle of Col. E. H. Taylor, and I did transport a bottle for a manager where I work.

As a blast from my past, both Lux Row's visitor center and Bardstown Bourbon's restaurant are lit using reflectors/refractors from a company I used to work for. I wrote sotware to assist in the plastic injection mold design for the tools that made them.

I still haven't pulled out pics from my camera yet, I'll update this thread with a link.
 
JKalchik said:
Now that my liver has mostly dried out and stopped crying (there must be .... fifty ways to lose your liver.)

Great trip. Something like 13+ distilleries in 4 & a half days. On Tuesday, we went from Whiskey Thief (2 thumbs up!) at about 50 gallons per day to Buffalo Trace (g/f scored us a Hard Hat tour,) at about 120,000 gallons of 140 proof daily. No, that's not a typo, BT has a pair of stills, each 7' in diameter and 40' tall, putting out 60,000 gallons each per day. We did try to spend more time in the smaller distilleries. The Bardstown Bourbon rick house tour..... that was a great recommendation. If you're doing the Bourbon Trail Tour, see if you can get lucky enough to get in on a Lux Row Happy Hour event.

Final bottle tally was 25 bottles, we'd purchased 23 of them. My local contact scored my g/f a bottle of Col. E. H. Taylor, and I did transport a bottle for a manager where I work.

As a blast from my past, both Lux Row's visitor center and Bardstown Bourbon's restaurant are lit using reflectors/refractors from a company I used to work for. I wrote sotware to assist in the plastic injection mold design for the tools that made them.

I still haven't pulled out pics from my camera yet, I'll update this thread with a link.
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We love Kentucky! We've made a couple trips down there and hit a lot of distilleries as well. Good on you for you GF getting that Hard Hat tour...it's a really good one and much better than the standard tour. We took it pre-Covid, and the guide filled a glass of white dog from that buffalo head tap, and pass it around for folks to sip. Can't wait to go back!
 
What a great way to spend a few days! I enjoy Kentucky a lot! Nicest state troopers to give you a speeding ticket! They are nice in Wisconsin too but, much more expensive!!!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
What a great way to spend a few days! I enjoy Kentucky a lot! Nicest state troopers to give you a speeding ticket! They are nice in Wisconsin too but, much more expensive!!!
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I would love to do the bourbon trail... I've driven thru Kentucky a ton and have never really stopped to enjoy any of it. I have seen some pretty epic speed traps... Kentucky state patrol cars up to a dozen or so crammed into a couple miles of I-75.. very intimidating
 
I got popped doing 79, they were ”allowing up to 75 that day” right past “Man of War“ boulevard. Nicest trooper, not a nice ticket though.
 
I make it a point to never be the fastest on the highway, especially if I'm out of state. Having at least 1 vehicle pass me while I pass about 3 seems to be a good rule of thumb. Photo radar enforcement may be changing that.....
 
I’m trying to get my wife to think that it’s her idea to do some of the bourbon trail. Maybe three days at a time? Start as far out as we can and work our way home during “Non peak” season. It will be a couple of trips doing it that way but, she is soon to retire and we will have more “off time”.
 
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