How Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is Made
By the latter part of the 19th and even into the early 20th century , the distillery business was going along rather well for bourbon whiskey. At least, that is, until someone decided that distilled spirits were evil. Prohibition in 1920 (The 18th Amendment to the Constitution and The Volstead Act… “a grand and failed […]
Makers Mark & Bardstown
One Last Tour Our last stop on the Kentucky trip was Bardstown, Kentucky. But just about twenty minutes to the south of it – and not far off our intended path – was another landmark. I just couldn’t resist the temptation of a visit so I could compare Maker’s Mark to the other distilleries which […]
Perryville Battlefield
Next morning dawned bright and blue. The temperature however, hovered at a brisk 31 degrees, and a heavy frost covered my windshield. A pesky northeast wind did not help matters. Even so, this was a far better scenario than the last two days of downpours! The road to Perryville was, to say the least, scenic […]
An Evening in Lexington KY
We ended our tour of Woodford and, after sampling some excellent “bourbon balls”, met Niki and Mary from the Lexington Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau at the Cheapside Bar and Grill. Cheapside Bar and Grill The Cheapside is an upscale restaurant in downtown Lexington serving excellent food from a menu loaded with varied and interesting […]
Woodford Reserve Distillery
We awoke from a deep sleep in our room at Natural Bridge State Park to singing birds. (Read about our trip to Natural Bridge State Park and the Red River Gorge here.) We thought that we had perhaps dodged the predicted rainstorm. Much to our chagrin, as soon as we got the car loaded, the […]
Natural Bridge State Park
Almost directly across the street from Miguel’s Pizza & Rock Climbing Shop is the Natural Bridge State Resort Park. As State Parks go, this one is very cool. About 50-60 feet below Hemlock Lodge (where we stayed), a small river runs through the park and surrounds an area called Hoedown Island — an open-air dance […]
Rock Climbing in the Red River Gorge
The rain that had taken a break and allowed us to observe some of the workouts at Keeneland began anew, and a cold wind added to the discomfort, so we packed it in and headed east and south to Natural Bridge State Park, with a brief stop in the Red River Gorge Geologic area of […]
Keeneland Race Track
Thursday morning brought with it a cloudburst that threatened to put a major damper on the day’s planned activities, one of which was a visit to Keeneland Racetrack. Founded in 1935 and situated on about 150 acres just on the outskirts of Lexington, the famed racetrack was the location for most of the racing scenes […]
Buffalo Trace: It’s All About the Water, and a Lot More
It was time to meet Angela Traver, (previously Public Relations Manager for Buffalo Trace Distillery, and now President of Speakeasy Communications. There is so much to say about the uniqueness of not only Buffalo Trace bourbon, but of the unique process of making bourbon in general. Let me begin by revisiting the issue of water […]
Frankfort KY, Daniel Boone & Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial
Our first stop the next day was the capital city of Frankfort, KY, located in the central portion of the state on an S-shaped curve in the Kentucky River. Frankfort may be small (the population is less than 30,000) but is well known for having one of the most beautiful capitol buildings in the country. […]