Roller Coaster Road Trip 2014: The Kentucky Bourbon Trail

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail was something I had never heard of before this trip, but the more I talked to people about the journey, the more I heard about the trail.  Apparently Kentucky is the bourbon capital of the world, and although I do not like bourbon, I thought that visiting one of the distilleries during our trip would be a cool thing to do.  After all I enjoy wine tasting and even more recently, beer tasting, so I suggested a stop at a distillery on our way towards the second leg of our trip in Tennessee.

 

covingtontravel

Heading southward on Route 65 towards Nashville, we stopped off about an hour in to visit the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky.  Jim Beam is one brand of bourbon that I knew and the place is steeped in bourbon history, having a heavy hand in the industry for more than 200 years.  We found the place easily enough and at first glance it reminded me of the many wineries that dot the North Fork here on Long Island, made for tourism, with gift shops, tours and tastings in a beautiful setting.  

Taking a pass on the 90-minute tour of the distillery, we opted for the do-it-yourself tour instead, which included two free tastings.  The gentleman in the tasting room suggested we choose a straight-up bourbon first, and then a flavored version, which I did.  Though the flavored one (cinnamon) was alright, I decidedly decided I still do not like bourbon.  Blech!

Anyway, checking out the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, even if for an hour or so, was yet another cool thing to do whilst in Kentucky.  If that's the sort of thing you're into, there are plenty of other bourbon distilleries along the trail to check out, including Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey, Evan Williams and more.  Visit the trail's official website here for more, and in the meantime check out some more pictures of our trip to Jim Beam...