In Shelbyville there are also some good options,

When I lived there, Ken-Tex BBQ opened up. They had the best brisket I have had in my life. (Willy Nelson used to stop by).
The origional owner sold out and the last time I passed through it was only above average.
Somewhere in the house I still have a copy of the local paper that had on the front page four photos of the new traffic light - one from each angle. There is also a a nice Scottish shop just outside of town.
If you get the chance, there are a couple of private ham smokers in the area that do fantastic hams.
There also was a rather famous eatery that was forced to allow women in in the 80's. It had been men only for years and women had to knock on the back door to put in their order. Also see the historic society building.

A pal's wedding brought me into the bourbon belt recently and afforded a few surgical strikes on a coupla distilleries. The drive to and fro the distilleries is at least as much fun - stunningly beautiful country and an impressive array of roadkill. A major highlight was visiting the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers/Willett distillery in Bardstown which re-activated their distilling operation this year after at least a 30 year hiatus. The Willett name is one of the oldest in the bourbon business, but for a period of time their legacy was bought by another company until a Norwegian married a Willett and bought the distillery back for his wife in 1984. The stills were not yet functional again though, instead they operated as a bottling and branding business (largely overseas) until earlier this year when the son, Drew Kulsveen, took the helm as master distiller (the youngest, at 32) and re-activated the still with the vision to revive and preserve the traditions of his bourbon blood. Over several years they've invested much effort and many dollars to refurbish the distillery, and even designed the specs for a pot still to be custom-built, now a physical and symbolic centerpiece of the distillery. There's a great buzz in the community down there about the Willett's reopening and, in speaking to several people in the bourbon business, there is much to look forward to in the resurrection of these old Willett recipes.









The downside is that this area is a culinary wasteland. Cracker Barrel hell as far as the eye can see.


But as a fan of Bojangles and Popeye's I have bit more faith in regional chick'n'biscuit chains, and was more than pleased with Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken (in Lawrenceburg).





In Lexington, Billy's Bar-B-Q slings some decent West Kentucky-style barbecue, including perfectly serviceable mutton and a chunky chowder-esque burgoo that's worth the slurp.











I did not appreciate the mutton coming pre-sauced, but it took on a nice smoke and the thick-sliced red onions and pickle coins are exactly the right accoutrements.


I'd had high hopes of eating my way through gas stations and roadside ham huts but sadly this is not to be. I did however receive a hot tip from a native Kentuckian of this area which led me to 150 Quick-Stop, a roadside gas station just outside Bardstown. Unfortunately, I showed up too late in the day for biscuits but the cold case has an impressive selection of excellent hams and local sausages.


On the other hand, 260# hog with all the fixins served up in a barn overlooking rolling Kentucky hills and rivers is as good as wedding grub gets.


Paradise needs a proper bourbon bar and feeding station.



---

Kentucky Bourbon Distillers / Willett
1869 Loretto Road
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-0081

Billy's Bar-B-Q
101 Cochran Road
Lexington, Ky 40502
859-269-9593
http://www.billysbarbq.com/


150 Quick-Stop
4598 Springfield Rd
Bardstown, KY 40004
(502) 348-4930

Thanks, Nab, for the illustrative update. I'm hoping to make the trek down there later this year and will try to visit the Willett facility when I do. Did you find out when their first "new" bourbon will hit the shelves or any other marketing plans? I'm guessing it'll be at least another year -- if not longer -- for the bourbon, right?

=R=

Thanks to you, Ronnie, for turning me onto Willetts in the first place.

Like many things bourbon, the facts were elusive. The public message was that we can expect to see Willett distilled bourbons (and ryes) in about 5-6 years.

Heading to Maker's Mark & Buffalo Trace this weekend. I wanted to visit Willetts as I've been the Maker's Mark
before but was outvoted by the group as none of them have been to Maker's Mark

On Sunday we plan to visit a new entrant into the KY Bourbon Trail, Town Branch located in Lexington.
http://kybourbontrail.com/index.php/town_branch_bourbon

Then off to Keeneland to bet on the ponies.

(If anyone is down KY way and wants to join our group of 7, please let me know, more than welcome to come along)

Willie,

If you are going to Makers Mark from Louisville then you will drive right in front of Willett only about 10 miles away. I am sure time is tight but at least you can drive up and look around. While in Bardstown I would go to Toddy's liquor store located right behind Talbott tavern for some good deals and a few hard to find items.

As far as food goes I would suggest going to Cozy Corner in Loretto before or after Makers Mark. Nothing amazing but you can get an order of Frog Legs and a fried Bluegill sandwich! Or try to hit the 150 quick stop for a country ham sandwich and if you have a cooler the best country sausage in the area.

Also it has been a while since I last went but Steven Foster Buffet in Bardstown used to put out some fine fried chicken. Not the super crispy version most places put out but more of a "braised" fall off the bone version like my grandma used to make.

Regards,

Bourbon

Wish I had known about the Cozy Corner in Loretto. Now I want to go back again.

I did stop at Toddy's Liquor Store. I've never seen a larger bourbon selection in any other liquor store. But then I live in Minnesota and haven't frequented too many Kentucky stores.

The Old Talbott Inn had a bourbon tasting of over 50 different bourbons. That might be a good happy hour stop.

tatterdemalion wrote:I did however receive a hot tip from a native Kentuckian of this area which led me to 150 Quick-Stop, a roadside gas station just outside Bardstown. Unfortunately, I showed up too late in the day for biscuits but the cold case has an impressive selection of excellent hams and local sausages.

Bourbon wrote:Or try to hit the 150 quick stop for a country ham sandwich and if you have a cooler the best country sausage in the area.

That's the hot tip - THANKS !

Bourbon wrote:Willie,

If you are going to Makers Mark from Louisville ......

Bourbon, thanks much for the info, I'll have to do this next visit to Kentucky. We were on a mission as some of our group was arriving into Lexington at noon so we had to boogie back east to Frankfort so the whole group could tour Buffalo Trace.

Had a great weekend in Kentucky.

Maker's Mark was just as magical as I remember from my visit ages ago. A new feature on this tour is the tasting of the white dog which they actually sell, I found it quite delicious.
Before Maker's Mark we tried to visit the Abbey of Gethsemane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Gethsemani but when we arrived we saw that the road we were going to get to Maker's Mark on was completely shut down. I apologize to God, our bourbon tour at 10:30am sharp was more important than walking around the Abbey so we left pronto as the drive all the way around the construction was going to take considrable time.

After Maker's Mark we stopped in Bardstown to dine at the Talbott Tavern which has been around since the late 1700's. Items like chicken & dumplings, white beans & ham soup, are served. All food was good but no one was wowed. If you do go, make sure you wait for a table in the original tavern section.
Talbott Tavern
107 West Stephen Foster
Bardstown, KY 40004
http://www.talbotts.com

We also toured Buffalo Trace distillery. A huge difference in experience and quality of tasting. Buffalo Trace only offered two different types of their rye bourbons, which we felt were quite harsh compared to the smooth wheat bourbons of Maker's Mark.

Last distillery we toured was the recently added Town Branch in Lexington. Quite a nice operation, one tours both the beer & bourbon production areas. The video at the beginning of the tour is quite heavy on the sell! Town Branch offered their single barrel bourbon and a rye bourbon as well as a coffee bourbon liquor. All were ok by our group.

In Lexington we dined at a number of places:
Magee's Bakery for some biscuit sandwiches and fresh donuts. Biscuits were a bit heavy for my taste, our group REALLY liked the donuts, especially the cake & glazed.
Magee's Bakery
726 East Main Street
Lexington, KY 40502
http://www.mageesbakery.com

Went to the original location of Ramsey's, a Lexington institution according to our Lexington based host, I had a hot brown (of which a photo of Ramsey's hot brown is in this thead: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1849&p=14111&hilit=Lexington#p14111 ) It was a good hot brown but the one I had at the Brown Hotel in Louisville is still my highpoint of Hot Brown sandwiches.
Ramsey's Diner
496 E High Street (original location)
Lexington KY 40502
http://www.ramseysdiners.com

On Sunday went to Stella's Deli for brunch, the outstanding meal of our trip for sure. Stellas sadly only serves brunch on Sat & Sun and is not open for breakfast on weekdays. The gravy that came with the biscuits and gravy were the best I've had bar none, nothing has ever came close, gravy is very thick, peppery and has a bit of heat. Drop biscuits are light and tasty. Farm fresh eggs were full of flavor. Bacon was thick cut and crisp. Those that had the egg strada said it was good. Some items like the strada, biscuits & gravy (or biscuits w/jam&butter), cheese grits, tomato bisque, fresh fruit w/yogurt &/or granola were all you can eat items. One picks from a variety of items, pick three was $8.95 & pick four was $10.95. Place is packed for business for brunch but well worth the wait in my opinion. Bloody Mary & bourbon coffees were quite good. I looked quickly at the lunch menu and they offered a lamb burger and any place that offers a lamb burger is worthy of further investigation.
Stella's Kentucky Deli
143 Jefferson Street
Lexington, KY
http://www.stellaskentuckydeli.com

Tried a relatively new place on the Lexington dining scene, The Village Idiot, a gastropub, it had opened recently. Lots of craft brews and when we went on Saturday night, it was for sure one of the "happening" places, lots of purty folks. Our group dined on a number of items: ahi poke, pork belly w/kimchi, burger w/onion ring that had center filled w/shortrib meat, fried duck w/waffles, truffle mac n cheese. Every item was good but never nailed it, the ingredients just didn't seem to be high quality enough, the lack of quality especially showing up on the charcuterie plate, items just were meh. I state the following w/o trying to sound snobbish: Lexington needs this type of place but I fear that the village idiot simply changed items to be upscale rather than trying to really elevate the dish (duck w/waffles vrs chicken w/waffles a good example).
The Village Idiot
307 W Short Street
Lexington KY
http://www.lexingtonvillageidiot.com

We had stopped at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis on the way down to Lexington, growler fills are only $5 on Fridays, quite the deal. Our Lexington host had out quite a spread to dine on w/the beer. Some "Kentucky" bar cheese and Kentucky country ham. The former being good, the latter being spectacular as it was an aged ham w/o water added. I'm heading back down to Lexington in a month or so and the host's father promised he'll take me to his source of the ham so I can purchase a leg to take home.

C'mon guys, bring my wife's property taxes down by visiting Woodford Reserve.

Hey Guys,

From Cleveland Ohio here, found this place while researching my upcoming bourbon country trip in a couple weeks. My girlfriend and I do catering and concessions for a racetrack here, and it was her idea to save our tip jar money for a vacation at the end of the year. I proposed going to the Makers distillery, and was shocked when she agreed and wanted to make it a longer trip, so away we go.

We are leaving here Thursday morning and heading home Sunday afternoon. One issue I already have is driving time - we are staying in louisville, which is going to add on some driving times to lexington and bardstown. However, for $35 a night at a 3* best western via priceline, I couldn't beat the price. But now I have to juggle a schedule that was already crammed, and hopefully find a few things to do that are more the woman's style just to make the trip "fair". Here's my rough itinerary:

Thursday afternoon - on the way through lexington, try and catch a 1:00 afternoon tour, though doubt I could get to a second place in time for the last afternoon tour (I read most last tours start at 2:30). Four Roses or Woodford would be my first choice.

Friday - Bardstown day. Want to take the Heritage Hill trolley tour at 10AM, do the Old Kentucky Dinner Train for lunch at noon, catch the heritage hill deluxe tour after, and hope to see willetts, the 1792 distillery, the museum, go to talbotts for dinner

Saturday - Makers day. the morning is open, I plan on taking a tour around 2 o'clock, and they have a cocktail party that night to benefit firefighters from 4-7. They have someone from Top Chef doing Maker's recipes and some food trucks doing that as well. I am pretty excited about this one and being able to dip my own bottle of the White Dog.

Sunday - going home, but want to get to Lexington early to catch another distillery I probably won't have time for on Thursday.

I also want to see the Louisville Slugger factory/museum.

So, if you guys have any advice that'd be great. I read its about 45 minutes from Louisville to Bardstown and a little over an hour from Louisville to Lexington - accurate? Anything I missed that I should go out of the way to try and see/do? Anything on the list I should cut out first if I start running out of time? Suggestions on things to see closer to Louisville? And anything else would be great, this thread has been a huge help as is.

Dave

I regret to say that we had an awful experience on the train. They ran out of food, we were not served, and refunds were not given.

Oh, stop in Shelbyville (between Lex and Louisville) if you like silver and silverplate. There is a store that sells silver that is just incredible. There is also a scottish store just outside the city that sells canned haggis.

In Bardstowm, there used to be a booze shop that sold every bourbon made in the area. Very Impressive. I forget the name but it was in the town center.

exvaxman wrote:I regret to say that we had an awful experience on the train. They ran out of food, we were not served, and refunds were not given.

Holy crap. I would have filed a chargeback with my credit card before I got back to the station.

And I checked the schedule, and the train won't fit in my schedule anyways. I had planned it when I thought the makers thing was friday, but its saturday, and the train only runs on Saturday. This should give me all the time I need in bardstown

ronnie_suburban wrote: Did you find out when their first "new" bourbon will hit the shelves or any other marketing plans? I'm guessing it'll be at least another year -- if not longer -- for the bourbon, right?

FYI, I saw Willett bourbon is on sale at Whole Foods in Northbrook, have not seen it for sale at Binny's.

Sweet Willie wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote: Did you find out when their first "new" bourbon will hit the shelves or any other marketing plans? I'm guessing it'll be at least another year -- if not longer -- for the bourbon, right?

FYI, I saw Willett bourbon is on sale at Whole Foods in Northbrook, have not seen it for sale at Binny's.

Yes, this is the material that was produced outside of the newly reopened distillery. Very nice to know that it can be had a WF.

Fwiw, Binny's currently has some phenomenal barrel-select bottlings of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (wheated), 9, 10 and 21-year Willett bourbons (3 different 21-year barrels, in fact) in at least some of their stores right now. Obviously, they weren't distilled at the newly reopened facility but the couple I've tasted have been very good.

=R=

Shot east of Louisville to Frankfort, KY for Buffalo Trace and Versaille, KY. for Woodford Reserve.

Did the tour at Buffalo Trace, really interesting seeing the bottling room.



Aging warehouse - one of many:









bottling room - they were bottling Blantons at the time:









Enjoyed the visit and tour of Buffalo Trace, learned a bit about bourbon and the aging process


We didnt do the tour at Woodford Reserve, they charge for the tour. A tip, ask for a taste and they give you a shot and the shot glass to keep for free. Woodford Reserve is set on a beautiful piece of land:

jimswside wrote:Did the tour at Buffalo Trace, really interesting seeing the bottling room, they were bottling Blanton's at the time.

nice marketing gimmick by Buffalo Trace with Blanton's. There is a metal (pewter?) horse & rider on top of the cork stopper, 8 of them (one for each letter in Blanton's), are all different mini sculptures of a horse & jockey riding at full gallop.

BTW, I'm heading down with some travel group buds the first weekend of April 2014 which is the opening weekend at Keeneland track in Lexington. Any LTHers are welcome to join us, we'll probably stop at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis to pick up some growlers, then onto Lexington for a Kentucky weekend. Fri afternoon will likely be a stop at a horse farm or two as one of the folks in our group owns horses. Saturday will be attending a distillery or two in the AM, then the races at Keeneland followed by a party at the home of a local. Sun will be brunch at Stellas, the maybe another distillery tour. Then drive home.

Sweet Willie wrote:

jimswside wrote:Did the tour at Buffalo Trace, really interesting seeing the bottling room, they were bottling Blanton's at the time.

nice marketing gimmick by Buffalo Trace with Blanton's. There is a metal (pewter?) horse & rider on top of the cork stopper, 8 of them (one for each letter in Blanton's), are all different mini sculptures of a horse & jockey riding at full gallop.

.

they were selling the set of Blantons toppers mounted on barrel slats at the gift shop - not cheap.

I was curious about Blantons so i bought a bottle, not a bad bourbon.

Sweet Willie wrote:

jimswside wrote:Did the tour at Buffalo Trace, really interesting seeing the bottling room, they were bottling Blanton's at the time.

nice marketing gimmick by Buffalo Trace with Blanton's. There is a metal (pewter?) horse & rider on top of the cork stopper, 8 of them (one for each letter in Blanton's), are all different mini sculptures of a horse & jockey riding at full gallop.

BTW, I'm heading down with some travel group buds the first weekend of April 2014 which is the opening weekend at Keeneland track in Lexington. Any LTHers are welcome to join us, we'll probably stop at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis to pick up some growlers, then onto Lexington for a Kentucky weekend. Fri afternoon will likely be a stop at a horse farm or two as one of the folks in our group owns horses. Saturday will be attending a distillery or two in the AM, then the races at Keeneland followed by a party at the home of a local. Sun will be brunch at Stellas, the maybe another distillery tour. Then drive home.

Willie, you forgot Waffle House across from the Four Points at 3am Saturday night...

threadkiller wrote:Willie, you forgot Waffle House across from the Four Points at 3am Saturday night...

If it turns into one of those nights, I wouldn't hate it, although I might hate myself in the morning

After more than 30 years of bourbon drinking, finally made a trip to bourbon country. We visited eight distilleries and took tours at five. Overall, really glad we made the trip and wish I would have done it years ago.

While there is quite a bit of content overlap, if you are into bourbon, it still worth taking multiple tours. Walking around and smelling the old rick houses was very cool. Amazing to think the old wooden rick houses, with dirt floors and see thru exterior walls, could support the incredible weight of many thousands of barrels.

A bit disappointing that you can’t get any hard to get bottles at the distilleries. The only bottles available are the readily available products that you can find at any good liquor store. And as with wineries, the distillers do not want to get into pricing wars with their retail customers, so the pricing is full retail. This means you can usually get a better price at a retail store.

First tour was at Maker’s Mark. I drank a lot of Maker’s in the 80’s and 90’s, but now only when there isn’t much selection at a bar or restaurant. I would be a buyer of their cask strength, if it wasn’t priced at such a premium to get the extra proof.

This may have been my favorite tour. Very picturesque and a smaller operation than all of the other distilleries we visited, except Willet. While Maker’s is not really a small operation, it seems like a mom and pop business compared to most other KY distilleries. I only wish they would have some reasonably priced higher proof bourbon and would like to try some with additional age.

Willet Distillery or Kentucky Bourbon Distillers is also on a pretty piece of land. I really like what they are doing and hope the results pay off in a few years with the whiskeys that they distilled themselves. Tried their two year old rye, which is the first rye they distilled themselves, but felt it was too young. I love Noah’s Mill, one of their non-Willet brands.

I am a fan of Elijah Craig 12 year (and the 12 year cask strength which I was able to drink at a couple Louisville bars), so we stopped Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center. Not much to see, but we didn’t have to go out of our way to get there.

We were advised by a few locals to pass on my plan to stop at Old Talbott Tavern for lunch and Mammy’s Kitchen was recommended. It gave us an opportunity to try Hot Browns for the first time. Mammy’s was good, but would try another place if in Bardstown again.

I’ve been drinking Knob Creek since I was introduced to it in the early to mid 90’s, so I had to visit Jim Beam Distillery. The tour was a bit commercial, but we did enjoy the touristy touch of bottling our own bottle of 120 proof single barrel Knob Creek. Even though they are made at a large operation, I love Knob, the single barrel Knob, and Booker’s and the fact that they are reasonably priced and available. In the current climate where it is impossible to find many of your favorite bourbons, I have to praise Beam for the availability of these great bourbons and their refusal to compromise on the age and proof.

Did a tour at Four Roses. Kind of in between the big industrial operations and a smaller producer. Since I enjoy their bourbon, we really had to include it. The Spanish architecture was unique for a KY distillery. Not that it matters, but it was the least expensive tour, most generous pours, and you get to keep the glass. Plus, everyone was very friendly and genuinely nice. If you weren’t a fan prior to the visit, my guess is most people would have a soft spot after the warm visit here.

Stopped at Wild Turkey and I recognized Jimmy Russell sitting in the tasting room, chatting with a couple of visitors. No signs or announcements, just Jimmy being available to meet loyal customers who recognized him. Didn’t take a tour here, but it wasn’t far from Four Roses.

Another quick stop at Woodford Reserve. Their bourbon isn’t something that I buy or drink very often, but heard that it was in a beautiful location. The grounds and surrounding area are maybe the most picturesque of all of the distilleries and I am glad we stopped. The tasting room just seemed too polished and corporate, decorated like a model home.

Lunch at Wallace Station was a good choice. I really enjoyed the Cubano and my wife like her burger. Washed them down with a Kentucky Kolsch and a Kentucky IPA. While the location seemed like it was in the middle of farms, it was jammed.

Last tour was the hard hat tour at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort. I enjoy and drink many of the various brands distilled here, but didn’t expect the industrial, old factory operation. I was prepared for Beam, but not here. Didn’t realize they made Fireball along side Pappy… As someone who appreciates smaller, artisanal products seeing the operation that makes some of my favorite bourbons left me a bit sad. Walking up to the factory complex, you could envision soap or baby food or anything being made here.

Buffalo Trace
113 Great Buffalo Trace
Frankfort, KY 40601
502.696.5926

Jim Beam
526 Happy Hollow Road
Clermont, Kentucky 40110
502-543-9877

Four Roses
1224 Bonds Mill Road
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky 40342
502-839-2655

Maker’s Mark
3350 Burkes Spring Road
Loretto, Kentucky 40037
270-865-2099

Willet Distillery/Kentucky Bourbon Distillers
1869 Loretto Road
Bardstown, KY 40004
502.348.0899

Wild Turkey
1417 Versailles Road
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky 40342
502-839-2182

Bourbon Heritage Center - Heaven Hill
1311 Gilkey Run Road

Bardstown, KY 40004

502-337-1000

Woodford Reserve
7855 McCracken Pike
Versailles, Kentucky 40383
859-879-1812

Wallace Station
3854 Old Frankfort Pike
Versailles, KY 40383
859.846.5161

Mammy’s Kitchen
114 N 3rd St
Bardstown, KY 40004
502.350.1097

Thanks for the report! I recently did the Woodford Reserve Tour myself -- we were hoping to see other distilleries but didn't have time. As you noted, Woodford's grounds and buildings, including the 1838 distillery building, are lovely. We did a tour with a tasting there. Production there is very small-scale, so you really do get to see everything. Our guide was personable, but still focused on the details of how they produce their product, rather than on cracking jokes or sharing local lore, which I appreciated. In the tasting room, everyone was given a sort of miniature place setting with two tasting-size glasses of bourbon (I think we had the Distiller's Select and the Double-Oaked) and one of their Bourbon Balls candies. They provided ice, though our tour guide was not in favor of adding it to the bourbon.

We were there a week before the Kentucky Derby, just at the end of the Spring Race Meeting at Keeneland, so the place was pretty busy, but not unpleasantly packed.

I just joined your forum At Al's recommendation. I'm actually from Louisville Kentucky and a member of a Louisville food forum http://forums.louisvillehotbytes.com/viewforum.php?f=9 that gave him some information about where to eat etc. during his visit. One thing that is new and growing very rapidly is an Urban Bourbon Trail that is developing a Louisville proper. There presently 2 urban distilleries in Louisville and three more in the process of being built including a huge one for Angels Envy! We also have a very large local craft beer scene and a huge local dining scene it has been recognized as one of the best in the United States and world.

If any you are contemplating a trip down our way please feel free to stop into the Hotbytes forums (the restaurant form is by far the most active) and say hello or ask any questions you have!

My husband and I are headed down to KY in less than two weeks to eat and tour a few distilleries. We currently are planning to visit 5... Woodford, Buffalo Trace, Willett, Barton's, and Maker's Mark. Also planning a stop at Against the Grain brewery. My question is are there any bottles that we need to snag while we're in KY?

I went to several shops in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Bardstown, etc. and didn't come close to finding any treasures. Less options than I can find here in the Chicago area. The only deal I found were $5 off neck tag coupons on Knob Creek Reserve 120 proof single barrel. Bought some at $39.99 - $5 off coupon, which was a nice deal.

There are lots of options to try in bars and restaurants by the glass, although you have to look hard and be knowledgeable to find many values.

Al Ehrhardt wrote:I went to several shops in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Bardstown, etc. and didn't come close to finding any treasures. Less options than I can find here in the Chicago area. The only deal I found were $5 off neck tag coupons on Knob Creek Reserve 120 proof single barrel. Bought some at $39.99 - $5 off coupon, which was a nice deal.

There are lots of options to try in bars and restaurants by the glass, although you have to look hard and be knowledgeable to find many values.

I appreciate the feedback. That's very good to know. I'll focus my time on enjoying the tours and surroundings and eating some good food.

Xpi6tiva wrote:

Al Ehrhardt wrote:I went to several shops in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Bardstown, etc. and didn't come close to finding any treasures. Less options than I can find here in the Chicago area. The only deal I found were $5 off neck tag coupons on Knob Creek Reserve 120 proof single barrel. Bought some at $39.99 - $5 off coupon, which was a nice deal.

There are lots of options to try in bars and restaurants by the glass, although you have to look hard and be knowledgeable to find many values.

I appreciate the feedback. That's very good to know. I'll focus my time on enjoying the tours and surroundings and eating some good food.

I couldn't disagree more. There is plenty in the liquor stores all over the area and in the gift shops at the distilleries. I was there in April and came back with all sorts of bourbons and ryes. I could barely fit it all in my car. Even the seemingly crappy liquor store next door to the house we rented in Bardstown had a case of something wonderful, very inexpensive and absolutely impossible to find in IL. But if you're strictly looking for Pappy and other mega-publicized juices, yes, you're probably going to strike out.

I feel the same way about Silver Dollar. An incredible selection and some of those whiskeys priced very reasonably. I was actually surprised how cheap some of those pours were . . . and largely things that are very hard to find here at home, if anywhere.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Xpi6tiva wrote:

Al Ehrhardt wrote:I went to several shops in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Bardstown, etc. and didn't come close to finding any treasures. Less options than I can find here in the Chicago area. The only deal I found were $5 off neck tag coupons on Knob Creek Reserve 120 proof single barrel. Bought some at $39.99 - $5 off coupon, which was a nice deal.

There are lots of options to try in bars and restaurants by the glass, although you have to look hard and be knowledgeable to find many values.

I appreciate the feedback. That's very good to know. I'll focus my time on enjoying the tours and surroundings and eating some good food.

I couldn't disagree more. There is plenty in the liquor stores all over the area and in the gift shops at the distilleries. I was there in April and came back with all sorts of bourbons and ryes. I could barely fit it all in my car. Even the seemingly crappy liquor store next door to the house we rented in Bardstown had a case of something wonderful, very inexpensive and absolutely impossible to find in IL. But if you're strictly looking for Pappy and other mega-publicized juices, yes, you're probably going to strike out.

I feel the same way about Silver Dollar. An incredible selection and some of those whiskeys priced very reasonably. I was actually surprised how cheap some of those pours were . . . and largely things that are very hard to find here at home, if anywhere.

=R=

Thank you, Ronnie. Pappy is not on my radar. I prefer to discover the undiscovered. I'm appreciative of any suggestions, if you have some.

Xpi6tiva wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I couldn't disagree more. There is plenty in the liquor stores all over the area and in the gift shops at the distilleries. I was there in April and came back with all sorts of bourbons and ryes. I could barely fit it all in my car. Even the seemingly crappy liquor store next door to the house we rented in Bardstown had a case of something wonderful, very inexpensive and absolutely impossible to find in IL. But if you're strictly looking for Pappy and other mega-publicized juices, yes, you're probably going to strike out.

I feel the same way about Silver Dollar. An incredible selection and some of those whiskeys priced very reasonably. I was actually surprised how cheap some of those pours were . . . and largely things that are very hard to find here at home, if anywhere.

=R=

Thank you, Ronnie. Pappy is not on my radar. I prefer to discover the undiscovered. I'm appreciative of any suggestions, if you have some.

I also would be interested in anyone's recommendations on non-hyped bourbons to pursue while in Kentucky. My husband will be presenting at a conference in Louisville next week, and we will be there for one night. It is my hometown, so I have plans for dinner (610 Magnolia, never been and seems overdue to try, although Lilly's was my previous special occasion place) with my BFF, but because we are driving and then heading to Columbus, OH for a cousin's wedding, I am looking to pick up some local corny, distilled gold. It is not useful to lament all the missed opportunities to stock up back in the day, because I would be like all the people who talk about how rich they'd be if they had kept their childhood toys, in the original packaging. If you are so obliged, I would appreciate tips to help make a fresh start. Thank you in advance! -Shari