On my 21st birthday, my housemate wanted to buy me a drink. I told her I’d have whatever she was having, which is how I ended up drinking whiskey for the first time (after champagne, Hypnotiq, beer, and assorted shots, naturally). I said it tasted like bandaids and promptly threw it up. This was my introduction to Kentucky’s finest.
I hadn’t had much of it since then, as I seemed to have learned my lesson. But five years later, I found myself in the land where bourbon originated, Bourbon County, Kentucky. Considering there are more bourbon distilleries in the area between Lexington, Frankfort, and Louisville than anywhere else, I didn’t have all that much bourbon during my four days in the Bluegrass State. One cocktail at Keeneland was just enough until we went to the mothership: Buffalo Trace.
A dense pillow of fog settled into the valley on the drive between downtown Lexington and Frankfort. The familiar scent of bubbling brews and charred wood greeted us. Crunched for time, we were given a condensed version of the tour, free for visitors, which takes you throughout the distillery’s grain warehouse, to the stillhouse, the barrelhouse, and bottling line.
The site is even a historical landmark, as distilling has been going on here for over 200 years, including during Prohibition when bourbon was made for “medicinal purposes.” Our guide brought us into the room where the Blanton’s Single Barrel bottles are filled, sealed, and labeled by hand. Each one is numbered and receives a stopper with a horse and jockey, a truly Kentuckian souvenir.
And of course, the tour ended in the tasting room, where I once again faced my nemesis, the strong brown nectar that had wreaked havoc on my liver. It went down much better this time, as it wasn’t well bourbon and I knew how to properly sip it. The taste was smooth, something I could even enjoy if given the chance. I also tried their Bourbon Cream, a bourbon alternative to Bailey’s that could be poured over ice cream, added to root beer or sipped slowly.
I suppose I’ve made my peace with bourbon. All it took was high quality and low quantity.
The Buffalo Trace Distillery is located 30 minutes outside of Lexington. Tours and tastings are available Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm and on Sundays from 12 to 3 pm.
Thanks to Visit Lexington for inviting me to experience the area. All opinions on bourbon my own.
it all looks so very American! love it