The Berry & Rye in downtown. Amazing cocktails. Like a speakeasy. Extensive spirit collection.
******************* BOURBON *******************
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Last: 14 hrs ago by digging tunnels
Starting to plan a Kentucky Trail tour with people from 4-5 states in the spring.
In April/May is there a preferred weekend? We want to avoid the Derby. It would be fun but that's a level of coordination. No agenda set, and with the amount of possible people coming, I won't even bother. It'll be my list of places and people can come and go as they please. Will be transparent of where I'm going (with a core of 5 people) and make it very open ended. Priority will be for distillery drops across 3 days. This could be as few as 5 and probably a max of 20 people.
In April/May is there a preferred weekend? We want to avoid the Derby. It would be fun but that's a level of coordination. No agenda set, and with the amount of possible people coming, I won't even bother. It'll be my list of places and people can come and go as they please. Will be transparent of where I'm going (with a core of 5 people) and make it very open ended. Priority will be for distillery drops across 3 days. This could be as few as 5 and probably a max of 20 people.
You have to set an agenda. Each tour only allows between 10-20 people and most of them book up early. You can't just show up unless you only want to look at the gift shop. It takes a lot of planning and coordination to get 3 tours in a day. They're generally only offered from 10-4 and often times you're driving 30-45 minutes between distilleries. I would recommend getting a final headcount and have one person book all the tours a couple months in advance.
cena05 said:
Just won a Blanton's from TW, so much for small talk with random Spec's employees. Jk
Same. I deleted the email initially because it looked like spam. Now I can spend an additional $20 in tolls to buy a Blanton's Gold.
I wouldn't do Derby weekend or the weekend before. They have Thunder Over Louisville that weekend and it starts closing down roads Thu and Fri.
Agree with SLCAg. Appointments are critical, especially with that many. We had a group of three and had trouble getting into some places. Buffalo Trace in particular was a challenge.
Don't need to do more than a couple tours IMO. After that it's pretty similar.
Agree. Maybe schedule a tour of one of the large distilleries and one craft distillery. After that, the tours can get redundant. You should also look at what kind of other experiences a distillery offers other than just a tour/tasting. Some offer bottle fills, blending, thieving, meet a distiller, etc. The distilleries you aren't touring are still fun to visit when you eat at the restaurant, check out the shop for bottles, and have interesting drinks at their bar.
You definitely don't need to do a tour at every distillery. Luckily most places have realized this as well and created "experiences" that can be book too instead of just tours.
If doing 3 days, you can definitely batch things easily.
1 day you can head to bardstown and pick between, bardstown bourbon company, heaven hill, willet, four roses (cox creek facility), jim Beam, and tack on a drive down to Maker's Mark (prettiest campus of them all, and worth a full tour). You can also add an Independent stave company tour, which is a nice change of pace and very well worth it - was a favorite of a group I went with a couple years ago.
day 2 head east and knock out buffalo trace, wild turkey, four roses (main campus), wilderness trail, castle and key, woodford, and a little known craft, but entertaining place called Glenn's Creek down the road from woodford and C&K.
Day 3 just hit up everything on whiskey row. Old Forester, Michter's, Evan Williams, Peerless, Pursuit United.
Tours and experiences at Evan williams get you access to better bottles at the end, and my group really enjoyed the speakeasy tasting experience and then we got access to Evan 12yr. I'd also do the "whole shebang" over at Pursuit if I was going back. Essentially a barrel pick process and then you get to bottle your own straight from the barrel you pick.
If doing 3 days, you can definitely batch things easily.
1 day you can head to bardstown and pick between, bardstown bourbon company, heaven hill, willet, four roses (cox creek facility), jim Beam, and tack on a drive down to Maker's Mark (prettiest campus of them all, and worth a full tour). You can also add an Independent stave company tour, which is a nice change of pace and very well worth it - was a favorite of a group I went with a couple years ago.
day 2 head east and knock out buffalo trace, wild turkey, four roses (main campus), wilderness trail, castle and key, woodford, and a little known craft, but entertaining place called Glenn's Creek down the road from woodford and C&K.
Day 3 just hit up everything on whiskey row. Old Forester, Michter's, Evan Williams, Peerless, Pursuit United.
Tours and experiences at Evan williams get you access to better bottles at the end, and my group really enjoyed the speakeasy tasting experience and then we got access to Evan 12yr. I'd also do the "whole shebang" over at Pursuit if I was going back. Essentially a barrel pick process and then you get to bottle your own straight from the barrel you pick.
I was going to write out my recommendation for 3 days, but this is pretty much identical to what I would say. Including the whole shebang, which was fantastic.
Good advice. A lot to think about. I think after 2 tours we'll mostly be interested in daily bottle drops
I'll need to make a spreadsheet.
Since people will be coming in from all over, I think 4 of us will set up our agenda and share it. Join us if you want or do your own thing and we'll meet up later. I'm not going to try to herd so many adults.
I'll need to make a spreadsheet.
Since people will be coming in from all over, I think 4 of us will set up our agenda and share it. Join us if you want or do your own thing and we'll meet up later. I'm not going to try to herd so many adults.
We used Pegasus Tours for our 2 day trip. Sprinter van picked us up in Louisville and took us to 3 distilleries each day.
We did willet tour, Bardstown lunch, Heaven hill tasting then home.
Woodford small tour + tasting, then Woodford bar (got a pour of the double double. Wow), then quick lunch, then Buffalo Trace Tour and tasting (Blantons drop that day, yay - free tour and tasting). Then whiskey thief that afternoon to close it out. We filled some bottles and enjoyed the live music. Ultra small operation. Love the 127 proof rye that I thieved from there. Then back home.
We did willet tour, Bardstown lunch, Heaven hill tasting then home.
Woodford small tour + tasting, then Woodford bar (got a pour of the double double. Wow), then quick lunch, then Buffalo Trace Tour and tasting (Blantons drop that day, yay - free tour and tasting). Then whiskey thief that afternoon to close it out. We filled some bottles and enjoyed the live music. Ultra small operation. Love the 127 proof rye that I thieved from there. Then back home.
Dinner when it's just me.
Get your fleshlight out and that's a A+++ night my friend
Thank you for this! Will be retiring in December and looking ahead to next spring when I will actually have time to enjoy this experience.Shaggie 05 said:
You definitely don't need to do a tour at every distillery. Luckily most places have realized this as well and created "experiences" that can be book too instead of just tours.
If doing 3 days, you can definitely batch things easily.
1 day you can head to bardstown and pick between, bardstown bourbon company, heaven hill, willet, four roses (cox creek facility), jim Beam, and tack on a drive down to Maker's Mark (prettiest campus of them all, and worth a full tour). You can also add an Independent stave company tour, which is a nice change of pace and very well worth it - was a favorite of a group I went with a couple years ago.
day 2 head east and knock out buffalo trace, wild turkey, four roses (main campus), wilderness trail, castle and key, woodford, and a little known craft, but entertaining place called Glenn's Creek down the road from woodford and C&K.
Day 3 just hit up everything on whiskey row. Old Forester, Michter's, Evan Williams, Peerless, Pursuit United.
Tours and experiences at Evan williams get you access to better bottles at the end, and my group really enjoyed the speakeasy tasting experience and then we got access to Evan 12yr. I'd also do the "whole shebang" over at Pursuit if I was going back. Essentially a barrel pick process and then you get to bottle your own straight from the barrel you pick.
Anyone know about the Grand reserve bourbon drop at Total Wine Houston that was supposed to be done last month? Apparently they didn't do it because they lost power in the storm, but I haven't seen any emails about when it is rescheduled to.
Well done on the steak or should not so done.
First time being grand reserve - when do they typically send emails about preferences and/or notification that this is on the way?
I read that it's not being rescheduled and that people who got allocated bottles were emailed to pick up instead, but I would check anyway.
Just curious (seeing that steak and bourbon pick), are you all able to drink bourbon with food? I drink it while I'm cooking or afterwards, but the flavors always seem to clash for my wife and I when we've tried it with food. That's why she's been turning to gunpowder paloma's if she wants a drink with a meal.
I'll have a mixed drink with a meal sometimes, but if I'm drinking it neat I always prefer it after the meal.
I typically drink cocktails with a meal.
I drink an Old Fashioned 1 out of 20 times I have a drink.
The other 19 are bourbon.
The other 19 are bourbon.
Pac1698 said:
Just curious (seeing that steak and bourbon pick), are you all able to drink bourbon with food? I drink it while I'm cooking or afterwards, but the flavors always seem to clash for my wife and I when we've tried it with food. That's why she's been turning to gunpowder paloma's if she wants a drink with a meal.
I leave for a couple weeks and this is new bourbon discussion?
Pac1698 said:
Just curious (seeing that steak and bourbon pick), are you all able to drink bourbon with food? I drink it while I'm cooking or afterwards, but the flavors always seem to clash for my wife and I when we've tried it with food. That's why she's been turning to gunpowder paloma's if she wants a drink with a meal.
Bourbon while cooking
Water during the meal
Bourbon after the meal
Wine pairs better with food, IMO. So if I drink during the meal, that's usually what it is. Sometimes a cocktail.
I like bourbon on it's own.
I like bourbon on it's own.
Enjoy your tea.
I'm officially done with this forum.
I'm officially done with this forum.
You know bourbon looks a bit like tea, it can pass in what may otherwise be a frowned upon environment. Like in the mess hall.
Damn. Guess we need to check with the board self appointed supervisor before any posts!
I can't usually drink neat and eat. Changes the flavor. Had 107 before eating and during. Drinking while eating completely changed it (terrible). Like mentioned above cocktails or wine with the meal to wash it down.
Before you leave, can you at least tell me if I'm in on the Garrison Bros pick?Aggie Therapist said:
Enjoy your tea.
I'm officially done with this forum.
The 8yr bourbon was excellent…..
🥃new aRYEvial🥃
— New Riff Distilling (@NewRiff) June 13, 2024
New Riff 8-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is the first older expression of our award-winning rye.
Get it first at the New Riff Gift shop beginning Saturday, June 15th at 11:00 AM. pic.twitter.com/B1lZSUyyVj
Picked up some Four Roses Small Batch Select and some Wilderness Trail BiB (high rye) on the way home from work.
Really looking forward to trying these.
Really looking forward to trying these.
4r SBS is one of my favorites. Great proof point, decently aged, and very fruity
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