Lexington, KY - Horse Capital of the World

A few days ago I was out with a friend driving the back roads to visit some of the historic Bourbon distilleries tucked away in the rolling hills of the Bluegrass Region. It is one of Kentucky’s signature products so, when I have friends visit I always insist on touring at least a few.

By most accounts, last week the weather in central Kentucky was less than ideal. However, driving past fields blanketed with a fresh winter snow, it occurred to me how beautiful this area is even during the cold winter months. Now…back to bourbon!

We visited several of the eight distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.  Although the process is the same, each distillery possesses a distinct feel, both in the architecture of the buildings and their setting. Wild Turkey and Buffalo Trace are both large industrial operations while Maker’s Mark and Woodford Reserve are quaint, smaller operations.  Four Roses stands alone in my mind.  They are a distillery that looks like none other on the trail and they produce one of my favorites….Four Roses Single Barrel.

Since it was the week before Christmas and, as usual, I’d procrastinated on my gift purchasing, I decided to do a little shopping in some of the distillery gift shops.  All of the distilleries have a wide array of items related to bourbon for sale however; I was totally blown away by the sheer number of items at the Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown. Located in Bardstown, The Bourbon Heritage Center is a fantastic new attraction that tells the story of Heaven Hill Distillery.

Walking into a warehouse and immediately smelling the aroma of aging bourbon, Christmas shopping that doesn’t require a trip to the mall, and introducing the birthplace of our nation’s only native spirit to a dear friend….these are a few of my favorite things!