Day 301 (Saturday 5/18/13)- Lexington, KY

Able to once again claim a spot on one of the highly sought out Buffalo Trace tours we started the day with a little Bourbon and some history too.

As we would hear on each subsequent tour "A Bourbon is a Whiskey but not all Whiskey is a Bourbon." In essence this means that you can only call your Whiskey a Bourbon if it meets strict Federal regulations. There are several but the most noteworthy are:

-It has to be aged in a brand-new charred Oak barrel

-It has to be made in the U.S. (though 95% of Bourbon is made in Kentucky alone)

-It has to go into the barrel at 125 proof (it usually comes out much stronger than that)

-It has to be free of additives

Having a fascinating tour guide we learned much--the word Kentucky is actually a butchered pronunciation of a Native word referring to Kentucky's lovely rolling hills. We also learned that the word proof comes from when early bartenders literally had to prove that their liquor was safe and pure (yes, back then that was less of a contradiction) by setting in on fire (if it burned it was legit) and that the proof of an alcohol is double the actual alcohol content (I.E. 120 proof is 60% alcohol).

Touring the Four Roses distillery next we had a totally different tour experience when we were led right along a catwalk weaving in between huge vats of mash ton. Normally off limits or completely enclosed this was a much more intimate and exciting (though extremely hot and a little dangerous) look into the behind-the-scenes process.

In Lexington we were disappointed to find the Keeneland horse racing track packed with people and thus inaccessible for a tour and that all the pools would not open for another few weeks. So much for that shower...

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Trace Distillery

 

 

 

 

Three Roses Distillery

 

Mash ton