Day three began with a trip to the gym (believe it or not) followed by the Barrel Rolling Contest. Contestants, mostly from the local distilleries, competed by rolling numerous barrels down a make-shift rack built to the specifications of those in the distilleries store houses. Now, rolling barrels does not sound too tough. But the idea is to roll barrel after barrel down the rack with the bung-hole on each pointed up. It is more fun to watch than to read about, trust me.
By afternoon we were in Spalding Hall for the Sip & Savor event. This event allows you to “pair” bourbon with food. We tried six different bourbons with different types of food. It was a good event that was a lot of fun.
Later in the afternoon we were back in Spalding Hall for a Mixology class. This was a two-hour class wherein we sampled cocktails made with bourbon. Being a purist I prefer my whiskey straight or with a splash of water (#9 prefers to call me a whiskey fascist). But there were a couple really good alternatives. My favorite was simply the mixing of lemonade, sugar syrup and bourbon…the perfect summer drink.
A quick note about Spalding Hall…this building is in the center of town on the City Hall lawns and houses the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. The museum does a great job of document the history of bourbon and the whiskey industry in the United States. The third floor of the building houses the facility where our tastings were. It is managed by Ann (whose last name I have since forgotten…please forgive me) who was a wonderful and gracious host. It was an intimate venue for the two events which made it easy to get to know our table mates and others in the room.
Throughout the day the City Hall lawn was the sight of Kentucky arts & crafts booths, food booths, distillery booths, and retail booths. At one of the booths I met with Bobby and Carol Simpson. Bobby is a member of the City Council and the father of my wife’s boss. I had a great time speaking with them. Bobby is a neat “home town” guy and an impressive ambassador for Bardstown. I look forward to seeing them again next year.
For the evening we went to the local ball field for the event party. There were several thousand people all having a good time, listening to music and enjoying their favorite beverage.
It may sound like we did a lot during this trip but there were still a bunch of events that we did not have the time to attend. It was a really neat festival that I recommend to anyone, especially the whiskey enthusiast.
So, to the city of Bardstown I say, “Nicely done”. To the people we met, “Cheers”. And to my travel companions, “Let’s do this again”.
Thanks for reading,
Doug