My Trip to Kentucky: First Day on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail!

 

Part of a cool Kentucky Derby mural in downtown Lousiville

The Sunday after the Kentucky Derby (read my blog post about my experience at the races) started with horrible rain and thunder, so we stayed at the hotel a little later than planned. But once things cleared up, we headed to downtown Louisville to start our journey on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Most distilleries didn't open until the afternoon, so we started out trying some Derby Pie and Rabbit Hole whiskey (the distillery was closed, so we figured we'd try the spirits elsewhere) at Doc Crow's and had brunch at The Porch.

Upstairs at Angel's Envy, we got to see the mash in the fermenters. They also had a hands-on interactive display of their grains, and I was definitely getting ASMR vibes from touching the corn kernels, barley, etc.

Our first distillery of the day was Angel's Envy, and that tour was amazing! Our tour guide really knew her stuff, and the facilities were beautiful. I liked the unique touches, like pouring some of their moonshine on your hands as hand sanitizer and then clapping your hands and smelling them (it sounds weird, but after you clapped your hands, they did smell like corn, what the moonshine is made from!). And the tasting in one of their many beautiful tasting rooms was very nice. We learned how to "acclimate" our palates by swishing the first sip for ten seconds (the "Kentucky chew"), then swishing the second sip for five seconds, and having our "true taste" with the third sip. We had the chance to try their bourbon (both neat and on the rocks) paired with a yummy orange chimere from Art Eatables (we went there later to buy some of our own candy!), as well as their rum-cask finished rye whiskey (some of the best rye whiskey my boyfriend and I have ever had). This tour and tasting is a must-do if you visit Louisville!

Inside the Evan Williams distillery, you can see an older version of the store front, so it's like a store within a store!

The next distillery we visited was Evan Williams. They aren't known for having fancy or expensive whiskey, but they are a well-known brand. And the tour was great! The tour is very interactive with several videos and other multi-media exhibits. Our tour guide was a funny guy, and I was entertained the whole time. Their spirits aren't my favorite, but the tasting included trying four of their spirits (and a chocolate as well), and they offered water to "open up" the whiskeys, which I appreciated. I would recommend this tour as a fun experience and a cool history lesson.

I had to get a photo with this great fountain at Evan Williams!

After that visit, we finished the day with a quick tasting over at Barrels & Billets. We arrived near closing time, so we just did a mini-cocktail tasting; we tried a smoked margarita, a strawberry drink, and a "confresi colada" (like a painkiller except with rye whiskey instead of spiced rum). I don't usually like smoky-flavored drinks, but their margarita was pretty yummy. We didn't buy anything else, but if we had, I think I would have gone for a bottle of that. 

And of course there's a big history of baseball in the city, so we saw a lot of that around!

Instead of having stars on the sidewalk like they do in Hollywood, there were "bases" for famous baseball players.
This one is for Babe Ruth!

This huge bat is at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. We didn't visit the museum (I went as a kid),
but this ginormous bat is a sight to see!

This statue of Pee Wee Reese is in front of Louisville Slugger Field, where their minor league baseball team plays
(their mascot is the bat, like the animal!)

Despite the rainy day, we still had a fun time exploring downtown Louisville, and we especially enjoyed the two distillery tours. Day Two of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail would be next; stay tuned for that blog post!