Last summer, Dennis and I took a 3-day trip to Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail. We went with two of my sisters and their husbands. It was fun to get away for a few days.
There are nine Ky Bourbon Trail member distilleries, and we visited five on this trip: Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and Bulleit. While the distillation process seems to be the same, there are differences in the recipes, and storage procedures. All bourbons must contain 51% corn – that is the standard to qualify as a bourbon. Some have more corn, but never less. The other main grain is rye or wheat. Wheat seems to make the bourbon smoother, while rye tends to be a little spicier. Personally, I cannot tell that much difference from the tastes we were given, but I am no bourbon connoisseur.
A second important fact regulating bourbon is that it is stored in new oak barrels that are charred on the inside. This charring gives the bourbon its flavor as it seeps in and out of the wood during the aging process. All of us learned a lot about the bourbon making procedure, but not to sound like a raging alcoholic, or as culturally inferior, we did some other touring during our mini-vacation.
We visited Bardstown, one of the top 100 small towns in the USA. First we walked the streets visiting a few shops along the way, enjoying lunch at “Pat’s Place”, then on to the corner pharmacy that has an old fashioned soda fountain. This was sentimental for my sisters and me since our father owned a small town pharmacy with a soda fountain. So we grew up as “soda jerks”. Next, we visited Federal Hill aka My Old Kentucky Home. Then we received a personal tour of St. Joseph’s Basilica, the first Catholic church west of the Allegheny Mountains. Bardstown has much to offer, and one could easily spend several days there.
Our next stop was an abbey. Our father was a fan of Thomas Merton and Dad had a signed poem by the Trappist monk. During the Christmas season, he always ordered cheese and/or fudge from Gethsemani, where Thomas Merton lived. Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey is about 30 minutes outside of Bardstown, convenient for us to visit. We were permitted to walk the grounds, and my sister Patty and I saw Thomas (Louis) Merton’s grave, marked by a simple, white cross. It is a beautiful, peaceful place.
Our last stop on the cultural part of our vacation was Farmington. Farmington was a 500-acre hemp plantation begun by the Speed family in Louisville, Kentucky. The house and gardens were beautiful, and we learned of the Speed family/Abraham Lincoln connection.
I love history, so the non-bourbon stops on our tour were my favorite. We packed a lot of education and fun into this 3 day mini-vacation.
Sixth Tepe 