Kentucky Straight Bourbon

This is Freddie. His family has worked at Buffalo Trace distillery for three generations. His grandfather handled every one millionth barrel of whiskey that came through the distillery, dying two weeks after rolling through barrel number six million, just shy of his 91st birthday. Freddie’s catchphrase is, “Ain’t that sumpthin’?”

To wit: “Buffalo Trace is one of only four distilleries to operate during Prohibition. There was a catch: you had to have a doctor’s prescription, and you only got one bottle per person a month. So naturally, there were a lot of sick children those days! If you got in good with your doctor, you could even order you favorite brand. By the end of Prohibition, doctor’s had written over 6 million prescriptions for whiskey. Ain’t that sumpthin’?”

We stopped at Buffalo Trace Distillery on the way down to the Beaumont Inn in Kentucky, one of our regular getaway spots. I could give you the nitty-gritty details about the effects of limestone aquifers or warehousing on the various whiskies in their portfolio, but the real pleasure of the tour was Freddie. This guy clearly loves what he does, and has nearly three generations worth of family stories to entertain his audience with.

In addition to a bottle of Eagle Rare bourbon and Buffalo Trace liqueur (available only at the distillery), I purchased some White Dog. White Dog is slang for the clear spirit that comes off the still before it’s put into wood. It is, as you would imagine, nuclear hot in your throat, but if your taste buds aren’t scorched after the first sip, you’ll notice a sweet caramel corn hit transforming into white bread. No idea what to do with it, but it gives an idea of what the distilleries spirit is like underneath the wood.

The Beaumont Inn itself is a former girls school turned old southern hotel. To give you an idea of the place, Rosemary Clooney was a frequent guest, but the owners say they’d never let her boy stay there (don’t appreciate his politics). A few years ago, it acquired the only liquor license in an otherwise dry county, making it prime real estate for locals, ensuring the place continues to bring in revenue even when the wife and I aren’t there to wolf down their delicious fried chicken and corn cakes.

Along with a new pre-Prohibition cocktail list, they’ve expanded their whiskey offerings since our last visit. The jewel of the collection is the 12 and 15 year old Pappy Van Winkle, a wheated bourbon. The door Freddie is opening in the picture above leads to the bottom floors of the rickhouses, where the whiskey matures the slowest—that's where Pappy sleeps. It’s released once a year, and gets snapped up quickly, so I appreciated the chance to enjoy a glass (or two). It is absolutely the smoothest, most complex bourbon I’ve ever tasted, and can hold its head high alongside any Scotch.

On the way back out of town, we visited Woodford Reserve. I’ve always enjoyed Woodford (it has a finish like Maraschino cherries), and I was intrigued by their use of Scottish style pot stills. Being smaller, you get to see a lot more of the process, like these pics of wort fermenting in washbacks and the inside of the mash cooker. The three stills themselves are beautiful, made in Scotland, of course. The whole place is very neat, tidy and beautiful, tucked away in a nook amongst horse farms. A bit too neat, in fact. The distillery is owned by Brown-Forman, makers of Jack Daniels, and the presentation comes across a little too slick. In contrast, Buffalo Trace is a working distillery, a little dirty and rough around the edges.

It doesn’t help that our tour guide admitted that a proportion of Woodford is blended with spirit from their monster plant in Louisville, since the less efficient pot stills can’t keep up with demand. What’s the point of pot still whiskey if you’re going to dilute it with cheap filler? She also alleged that Scotch can be made with artificial flavors and colors, whilst Woodford is not. Scotch producers can add some flavorless caramel for a more consistent color (which has a negligible effect on flavor). So, basically, she’s full of crap. No need to talk smack about the competition if you have a superior product.

 Both distilleries offer a more comprehensive “hard hat” tour that you have to schedule ahead of time, offering a more comprehensive look at the distilling process. I think the four hour drive back down to Buffalo Trace, running the gauntlet through the chaos of Cincinnati, would be well worth it, especially if Freddie is our host. Ain’t that sumpthin’?