On the Bourbon Trail

It is the start of September and Kentucky is looking dry. We are staying with friends in Villa Hills, just south of the Ohio river and 10 minutes from Cincinnati. The trees in their normally lush and green garden have already started to lose their leaves. No, autumn hasn't set in early but the trees simply can't cope with the extreme heat and drought.

We're only about an hours drive from the distilleries in Franklin County famous for two things; tobacco and bourbon. And both are unbelievably cheap in this state.

We decide to make a day of it and visit a few of the lesser known distilleries.

The first one we come to is just outside of Versailles (Kentucky, not France) in a most stunning location with narrow winding country lanes taking us to the well-hidden buildings of 'Woodford Reserve'. Full marks for the views and very picturesque surroundings!

Woodford reserve, unusually here, is purely pot distilled. Think malt whisky here, small-batch processing and even the actual copper still comes from Scotland.

Most bourbons are the product of continuous distillation or sometimes a bit of both, Woodford can claim it is the only one using purely pot distillation.

We join the tour about 10 minutes late but everyone is still on the veranda so we're in plenty of time to jump on the air-conditioned minibus which will take us to the still house and the warehouses. A slight feeling of being in Disneyland is starting to get hold of me as Don, our chirpy guide, starts to introduce us to the secrets of Woodford Reserve. The distillery is owned by Labrot & Graham which in turn is part of Brown Forman which also owns the Jack Daniel's brand. Not such a small company after all.

The tour takes in all the stages of the Bourbon process, from the mash bill, which must contain a minimum of 51% corn to be called bourbon. Woodford uses around 72% corn with the balance made up of rye and malted barley, the latter being needed for its enzymes that convert starch into sugar. Remember, no sugar, no alcohol.

The mash will be fermented into what is effectively a beer without the hops over a period of 7 days. This will then be triple distilled after which the spirit (white dog anyone?) will be barrelled in American white oak barrels.

The key to bourbon, other than the minimum 51% corn required in the mash bill, is this ageing process. Here it is done in heated warehouses. The extreme Kentucky summer ensures the spirit goes deep into the wood grain where it picks up many of the characteristic flavours. During the winter the warehouse is heated ensuring the ageing cycles of alternate hot and cooler conditions are maintained. This, claims Don, plays a very important part in the overall ageing process.  

So how's the Bourbon?

Pretty good actually. The nose is sweet in an orange kind of way, almost like cognac but with a bit more citrus freshness and lifting mint. Vanilla and toffee are self-evident.

Creamy, sweet and soft on the palate, with spicy vanilla and peachy softness. If you've only ever tried Jim Beam and need coke to make it palatable try this premium Bourbon, perfect for sipping on its own.

One downside to this distillery though. Why charge $5 entry when virtually all other distilleries are free entry. It just seems a bit mean considering this is not a small independent company struggling to sustain itself.
 

On to the Buffalo Trace.

Not exactly small but certainly independently owned is the Buffalo Trace distillery close to Frankfort (Kentucky, not Germany).

No entry fee, that's a great start, and a very warm welcome into the visitor centre by Becky (I'm sure that was her name). This much larger operation meant bourbon distillation had shut down for the summer. Production here takes place from October to April ensuring only the freshest corn is used. They leave a lot of the bottling to the off-season so work still goes on as evidenced by our visit to one of the bottle houses.

The brick warehouses are a sight and a half on their own, holding enough whiskey to continue supply for another 20 years even if production were to cease today.

The visitor centre has a great collection of artefacts and photographs relating to the history of the distillery, one of the oldest in the area still in operation, going back to the late 18th century. During the American prohibition in the 20s the distillery held a licence which kept it in production albeit for medicinal purposes only. On doctor's orders you could get your pint of Bourbon every 10 days to aid whatever was supposedly wrong with you. No doubt the surgery waiting rooms were stowed out every single day. In 1925 the distillery bottles 1 million pints of medicinal whiskey.

The Buffalo Trace Bourbon itself is a 9 year old Whiskey bottled at 90 proof (or 45% abv). The exact mash bill is kept secret but other than corn the other major cereal is rye with some malted barley. The fourth allowed ingredient in Bourbon is wheat, but this is used in just over a handful of Bourbons, Maker's Mark being the best known. W.L. Wellers, also produced by the Buffalo Trace distillery is another and is very different from the softer, sweeter Buffalo Trace itself. Almost more like a blended scotch. Quite savoury and sharp.

The Buffalo Trace 9yo has a soft sweetcorn nose with caramel and vanilla tones. Sweet attack with a spicy kick and a long dry finish. Superb complex Bourbon.

The Eagle Rare 10yo by the same distillery has a more oaky, smoky nose. Breathe through that and it gets more complex with nuts moving to spicy vanilla.

A soft sweet start with a sharp citrusy acidity giving balance. The finish is dry and savoury, well balanced, long and complex.

Vodka is also being produced on site in the form of 'Rain Vodka'. Produced from organically grown white corn it is distilled 7 times for purity.

A grainy vanilla nose, but otherwise neutral. Soft and sweet with a feather light vanilla touch. Clean as a whistle.

Plenty to shout about here then; free entry, a taster of two Bourbons and one vodka and a most hospitable host. My favourite distillery and Eagle Rare 10yo has turned a firm favourite in my house.