ON THE TRAIL
KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL
Learn the American art of bourbon distilling and tasting in Kentucky , with Jacqui Agate
Kentucky is washed in whiskey , with 95 % of all the bourbon produced in the U . S . originating in the Bluegrass State . Liquor only earns the title of “ bourbon ” if it ’ s made up of 51 % corn and aged in new , charred-oak barrels . Settlers began making corn-based whiskey in the South as early as the 1780s ; Kentucky ’ s soil is the perfect fertile ground for the traditional crop .
Fast-forward several centuries and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail has woven together 42 innovative distilleries , while tasting rooms and bottle shops have brought the spirit to buzzy downtown areas . Carve a bourbon-soaked path across Kentucky , uncovering the traditions and tastes of the Southern state .
Bardstown
Bourbon Company , Bardstown
Bardstown , dubbed the Bourbon Capital of the World , has 11 distilleries . One , Bardstown Bourbon Company , is a vast operation spread over 40 hectares of farmland , where soaring glass buildings reveal glittering stills . Come here to shake a bourbon cocktail , “ thieve ” the spirit straight from a barrel in the rickhouse or take a tour to learn about mashing or ageing . Their restaurant serves refined Southern-style food .
Revival vintage
Bottle Shop , Covington
Head to Covington , a laid-back city right on the border with Ohio . It ’ s home to Revival ’ s second outlet , a shop dealing in rare and vintage liquor . Cofounder Brad Bonds digs out dusty bottles at garage sales and similar troves and sells them or cracks them open for tastings at the shop ’ s tiny bar . This treasure trove for spirit lovers hawks everything from 19th-century bourbons and rare bottles of Pappy Van Winkle whiskey to 1960s Puerto Rican rum . illustrations : Lis watkins
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