We arrived in Bardstown (KY) on Wednesday evening and began our week with a tour of the Jim Beam Distillery. Being the biggest distillers of bourbon one may think the visit would be spectacular. You would be wrong. Their tour consisted of watching a movie on the history of the company and then a quick tasting. We tasted their small batch Baker’s and the black label Jim Beam.
Baker’s is a 7 year old small batch bourbon that is bottled at 107 proof (53.5% alcohol). This is a good bourbon with a bit of a bite. I think the strength overpowers the flavor. The fruitiness and vanilla are there but are very faint.
The black label Jim Beam is an 8 year old version of their white label Jim Beam, which is aged for only 4 years. It is bottled at 86 proof (43% alcohol) and has a deeper, richer taste compared to the white label. If you have never been a fan of the white label you may want to give this one a chance. It is a good, basic bourbon.
After Jim Beam we moved on to the Maker’s Mark Distillery. They have a much smaller distillery but offered a nice tour of their facilities and allowed everyone to wander the grounds to take photographs.
Whereas most bourbons have a mash made up of corn, rye and malted barley Maker’s Mark replaces the rye with red winter wheat to give it a “soft, mellow taste”. I have never been a fan of the Maker’s Mark, probably because I like the influence of the rye. BUT, they recently introduced the Maker’s 46. To make this brand they take the fully matured Maker’s Mark and put it back into a charred oak barrel but with additional charred oak staves inside. This is allowed to mature for several more months.
They allowed us to do a taste comparison between their two products. I found the Maker’s 46 to be quite a bit smoother than the original with a longer warming finish. I like this bourbon.
That evening was the Boot & Bourbon party sponsored by Wild Turkey. It was a fun cowboy themed event with a great band. Wild turkey had most of their bourbons available. I sampled three of their bourbons: Rare Breed, bottled at 108 proof (54.2% alcohol), Russell Reserve 10 year old, bottled at 90 proof (45 % alcohol) and Kentucky Spirit, single barrel bottled at 101 proof (50.5% alcohol). I have tasted each of these in the past and find all to be fine whiskeys. The Rare Breed had the best nose with deep tones of caramel. But for me the Kentucky Spirit had the best combination of nose and taste with a great smooth finish.
The day ended with an unexpected treat. We stayed at a particular hotel at the recommendation of William Meyers (Scotch Guy). He said at the end of the evening a number of people will meet at the gazebo to talk, and drink, whiskey. He was not kidding. We arrived at the gazebo at 10:30pm to find about 20 guys surrounding a table of about 40 whiskey bottles (98% bourbons). We brought out bottle of Maker’s 46 to add to the collection then spent the next two hours tasting and talking. This group, which met each night, was one of the great highlights of the trip.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for my next post that will describe the rest of the trip.
Doug