I spent the weekend in Lexington, Ky., to celebrate a wedding (congrats Moira and Reid!). The one non-wedding thing I wanted to do while I was in town was to check out the Buffalo Trace distillery, the home of my beloved Old Weller Antique, the 107 proof ambrosia that makes life worth living.
And check it out I did! Unfortunately, I didn't manage to snag a spot on one of the hard hat tours, but the Trace Tour was quite excellent. Our walk through the nation's oldest continuously operated distillery—it kept chugging through prohibition, churning out "medicinal" whiskey—was fun, informative, and something close to heaven for those who care for a bit of the brown stuff now and again.
As you pull into the parking lot, you see one of several bourbon warehouses, imposing and inviting all at the same time:
After a brief video describing the history of the brand and of bourbon more generally, we were invited to step inside the warehouse. Fans of Parks and Rec may remember Ron Swanson's recent trip to the Lagavulin distillery; I think it's safe to say that my reaction was somewhat similar to his:
Setting foot inside the massive warehouse, which stores some 24,000 barrels, one is struck by the smell: a mixture of earth, wood, and alcohol swirls about. I'm not a fan of scented candles. But if one were to waxify that scent I wouldn't not make my office and home and car smell like it. Here's what it looks like on the inside:
And here's the reverse angle:
The lovely lady in the foreground there was our tour guide, Regina, who deftly mixed enthusiasm and information in her talk. She was really great, highlighting some of the cool little items on our tour. For instance, there were a number of "experimental" barrels currently aging in the row we were checking out:
I assume this one gives you superpowers. But we won't know for many years, because they have to age. The bourbon game is not one for the impatient; as Regina noted, the next barrel, being of the Weller formula, could end up becoming Pappy Van Winkle—in another 21 years or so.
Personally, I'd be happy if it became the Old Weller Antique. Or the barrel-strength delicacy William Larue Weller, a fine bottle that I simply cannot get my hands on any longer.
After checking out the warehouse we moseyed on over to the Blanton's bottling plant. Though to call it a plant is a bit deceiving; it's more of a big room. Staffed by a half-dozen or so people putting bourbon into the bottles, affixing the horse-ornamented cork, pouring hot wax on to seal it, and hand-numbering each individual bottle, one comes to understand why Blanton's runs you $50-some a bottle. I snapped an action shot of the bourbon being poured into the bottles:
And then we went to the gift shop where we got to taste some of the products. The pickings were slim, but I picked up a bottle of Buffalo Trace's Bourbon Cream, having not seen it around D.C. liquor stores.
I highly recommend checking out the tour if you're in the area. If you're a fan of bourbon, you'll enjoy yourself. And if you're not a fan of bourbon, you should start drinking it (again, the Old Weller Antique is pretty amazing and not unreasonably expensive at $25-$30 a bottle), become a fan, and then go on the tour.