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Posted: 2/25/2017 12:21:18 AM EDT

Girlfriend and I are thinking of going on a road trip to Kentucky. Would like to know what distilleries to hit, what to skip, and perhaps local liquor stores where I may find some dusties.

Leaving from Houston, Texas and would have 7 days.

Posted: 2/25/2017 12:34:57 AM EDT

[#1]

If you just pick up the Bourbon Trail passport and hit all of them without doing tours or anything you can hit all in at least a day if you start out early. If doing tours on all of them look for at least four days. If doing tours on half then can get it done in three days. Four Roses is the best tour. When I did it they charged $5 for two tours and you get a glass at the end of each tour. So for $5 they are giving you a glass. I also did tours at Bulliet, Jim, Evan Williams, and Woodford. And did a tasting at Heaven Hill. That 21yo bourbon was the best stuff I ever tasted. And it should be for $300 a bottle.

Posted: 2/25/2017 1:01:07 AM EDT

[#2]

That $300 bottle of Evan Williams is available for under $150 in Asia. I would definitely tour Maker's Mark, Four Roses, and Jim Beam. The Woodford visitor's center is real nice and the Wild Turkey tasting room is awesome. I did the entire passport in 2014. I did the urban bourbon trail in Louisville last year. I'll be doing the small batch tour next time.

Posted: 2/25/2017 1:24:12 AM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:
That $300 bottle of Evan Williams is available for under $150 in Asia. I would definitely tour Maker's Mark, Four Roses, and Jim Beam. The Woodford visitor's center is real nice and the Wild Turkey tasting room is awesome. I did the entire passport in 2014. I did the urban bourbon trail in Louisville last year. I'll be doing the small batch tour next time.

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I did the tour in 2015. Four Roses for the price cannot be beat for tour. Jim was neat. I didn't do the Maker's tour just got stamped. Was getting late in the day. Plus we did other stuff like the Slugger and other things yet three days for almost half doing tours wasn't bad. If doing all tours you are looking at at least four days if you get there when they open in the morning. Turkey was the other tour I took. It was on my birthday and got a to try all of their samples because the dude was cool that it was my birthday.

Posted: 2/25/2017 12:14:37 PM EDT

[#4]

Posted: 2/25/2017 12:18:34 PM EDT

[#5]

Posted: 2/25/2017 12:57:00 PM EDT

[#6]

Willet Distillery is a special place. Too small to be a full scale mega-commercial distillery and yet a bit too big to be a tiny-craft distillery. They occupy a pleasant intermediary niche that is just amazing. I have only been to Bardstown once and in the 48 hours I was on the ground I went there twice. If you like Rye they are THE PLACE to be. Cannot recommend them enough.

Makers Mark has a good tour with an excellent tasting flight at the end. Worth it.

Beam is another good tour. Get a personalized bottle of Knob Creek during the tour, it's worth the $40 you'll pay.

There are several others I need to hit next time I go. Honestly, you could go every year for several years of vacations and not duplicate anything.

Posted: 2/25/2017 1:04:26 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
Willet Distillery is a special place. Too small to be a full scale mega-commercial distillery and yet a bit too big to be a tiny-craft distillery. They occupy a pleasant intermediary niche that is just amazing. I have only been to Bardstown once and in the 48 hours I was on the ground I went there twice. If you like Rye they are THE PLACE to be. Cannot recommend them enough.

Makers Mark has a good tour with an excellent tasting flight at the end. Worth it.

Beam is another good tour. Get a personalized bottle of Knob Creek during the tour, it's worth the $40 you'll pay.

There are several others I need to hit next time I go. Honestly, you could go every year for several years of vacations and not duplicate anything.

View Quote

Willett really is awesome and their tour comes with a free glen cairn. It is actually a free tour for veterans as well. If they have one of their family estates in the gift shop they're worth grabbing. They are pricey, but really incredible sourced bourbons.

Posted: 2/25/2017 4:08:16 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
Willet Distillery is a special place. Too small to be a full scale mega-commercial distillery and yet a bit too big to be a tiny-craft distillery. They occupy a pleasant intermediary niche that is just amazing. I have only been to Bardstown once and in the 48 hours I was on the ground I went there twice. If you like Rye they are THE PLACE to be. Cannot recommend them enough.

Makers Mark has a good tour with an excellent tasting flight at the end. Worth it.

Beam is another good tour. Get a personalized bottle of Knob Creek during the tour, it's worth the $40 you'll pay.

There are several others I need to hit next time I go. Honestly, you could go every year for several years of vacations and not duplicate anything.

View Quote

I just killed my personalized Knob Creek single barrel and my Russell's Reserve that Jimmy Russell signed for me. Of the 16 bottles I picked up only the two Maker's personalized bottles, and a Evan Williams jug remain.

Posted: 2/25/2017 11:22:17 PM EDT

[#9]

Thanks for the input. Looking forward to putting a trip together.

Posted: 2/25/2017 11:39:15 PM EDT

[#10]

When it comes to dusties don't get your hopes up out here. Everyone is into bourbon out here and the second something gains any level of popularity, the neckbeards hit every store they can find. What you can find here that you can't get anywhere else is a bunch of the bottled in bonds. The heaven hill bib is one that people love and it goes on sale regularly under $10. The very old barton bib is amazing juice usually $22 a handle. The old Fitz bib is also readily available here. A lot of these don't get distributed out of Kentucky anymore.

Posted: 2/25/2017 11:41:55 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
When it comes to dusties don't get your hopes up out here. Everyone is into bourbon out here and the second something gains any level of popularity, the neckbeards hit every store they can find. What you can find here that you can't get anywhere else is a bunch of the bottled in bonds. The heaven hill bib is one that people love and it goes on sale regularly under $10. The very old barton bib is amazing juice usually $22 a handle. The old Fitz bib is also readily available here. A lot of these don't get distributed out of Kentucky anymore.

View Quote

Thanks. I am a little aware of that. I guess I was hoping to get or see something that I don't anyways get and see here in Texas. It is funny how a lot of bourbon that originates in Kentucky is harder to get in Kentucky.

Posted: 2/25/2017 11:47:28 PM EDT

[#12]

Our liquor market is controlled by two distributors, so anything being sold in the state has to go through these, even the stuff made in the state. So a lot of the bourbon industry just doesn't like to deal with it. It's sort of like the cobbler's children going barefoot.

Posted: 2/26/2017 12:15:44 PM EDT

[#13]

I would skip Bulliet and Town Branch. Most of the rest have great tours. Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve are exceptionally picturesque. I would hit Buffalo Trace as well, even though they aren't on the Trail proper.

Posted: 2/28/2017 12:10:14 PM EDT

[#14]

I hate beer, so I hated town branch.
Buffalo trace was good. So was wild turkey.
Make sure you stop by a liquor barn store. It's a liquor store the size of a grocery store. We don't have anything like that in my area.

Posted: 2/28/2017 10:31:57 PM EDT

[#15]

I may have to take a long weekend and do the trail this spring.

Posted: 3/1/2017 11:20:28 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
I may have to take a long weekend and do the trail this spring.

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I'd suggest taking Thursday, Friday and Saturday to do it. The distilleries that are open on Sunday are open limited hours, so it's best to use Sunday as a travel home day.

Posted: 3/5/2017 11:28:15 AM EDT

[#17]

Look for the bourbon barreled "small" batch brewed soy sauce. You will not be disappointed. On top of that, find some of the Worcestershire sauce, another winner. The maple syrup though does have an after bite.

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