Kentucky: Day Four
Whirlwind
Two very busy days in the books. The only two things we planned before leaving home were tours at Buffalo Trace and Maker’s Mark. Day four was the Buffalo Trace National Historic Landmark Tour, not so much about the Bourbon making process (which really doesn’t change much from place to place), but about the history of the people and the buildings that made it what it is. Awesome for history nerds, but if you’re looking for the fermentation chambers and stills, you aren’t going to find them on this one.
They keep the good stuff behind this door… They don’t seem to have any of the same shortage problems that a lot of the liquor stores around the world have.
Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge (as a tour guide should be, I guess) and there is SO much history behind the entire Bourbon industry in Kentucky and (what is now) Buffalo Trace in particular. Colonel E.H. Taylor was the driving force behind making it what it eventually became. It turns out he’s a descendant of Zachary Taylor and James Madison. An amazing salesman and marketer but not so much an astute businessman, he had to be financially rescued a number of times, but always seemed to find someone willing to shell out big bucks for good bourbon. Some things never change…
Woodford Reserve was next… it was 39 degrees out, and while that may have still been 20 degrees warner than any temperature we’ve experiences at home in six months (I wore flip flops) it still seemed like a day to find indoor stuff to do. Woodford gives you a cool view of the whole process of Bourbon-making.
Lunch of course.
If you’re in Lexington, do yourself a favor and find Wallace Station. Two reasons; One - it’s on Old Frankfort Pike, which might be one of the prettiest drives anywhere. Two - Food. The place was one of the stops on Guy Fieri’s show, which I don’t think we knew before we went there… not that that would have been a plus or a minus, but it’s usually a good sign that locals think the place is worth hitting. And it is.
“Location, location, location” they say… This place is in the absolute middle of nowhere and it’s awesome. Good food trumps location any day.
We spent the rest of the day “right-or-left ing” our way around Central Kentucky. Found some very, very cool old towns… Danville and Bardstown were both “retired-teachers-don’t-live-here” beautiful, and the scenery along the Lincoln Heritage Byway is something I don’t think I’d ever get tired of.
The sun finally came out later in the day and we started looking around for something scenic and west-facing to photograph the sunset from. Bernheim Forest was our landing spot… and although the sunset itself was kind of ‘eh’, Bernheim is a pretty place and the sun was out, so it was hard to complain.
