Best Bourbon - Baker's
Distillery: Jim Beam
Proof: 107
Aged: 7 Years
My taste description: Starts off with a definite sweet, caramel smell. Taste is first caramel, then nutty, and finally a bit spicy.
Finish: Smooth and sweet.
Final thoughts: Had my doubts about Jim Beam, since it's the best-selling bourbon and their white label product is what I mix with Ginger Ale in most cases. But Baker's is serious stuff. So delicious, sweet, and nutty. Apparently it's popular with scotch drinkers because of the nutty characteristics. And the price is right - about $50 for a fifth. I'll be bringing a bottle of this back with me next time I am home in Adams, so find me.
Best Distillery Tour - Woodford Reserve
Woodford takes you through every step of the bourbon process, from cooking the grains, to fermenting, to triple distilling, to barreling, aging, bottling, and labeling. This was a close call because the Maker's Mark tour was very good as well and we got to taste the sour mash and the white dog. But they did not allow us to see the bottling or post-production processes.
Best Barrelhouse - Jim Beam
Maybe because it was our first tour, but something about the Jim Beam barrelhousse was incredible. The smell is amazing, the bluish tint of the mold is breathtaking, and the history sitting in that warehouse is just incredible.
Worst Tour - Wild Turkey
Perhaps because they are in the process of building a brand new distillery and therefore all we got to see was a barrelhouse, and perhaps because it was the coldest and windiest day on the trip, we all felt Wild Turkey offered the worst tour of all. The tour guide was ok, but I think by this point, we knew as much about the bourbon-making process as he did. We also caught him in a fib regarding the charred oak barrels, which he later denied knowing was a fib. Don't f*ck with the Sons of Adams, sir.
Douchiest Tour Mate - Redneck Lady from Maker's Mark Tour
While at Maker's Mark, we had the rare pleasure of a visit from the master distiller - some would have called us star struck. He asked if we had any questions for him, and this lady actually asked him in a very thick southern drawl, "Why does ya'lls bourbon fizz up when I put coke in it. Because the others ain't do that." Once the stunned silence and dropped jaws passed, the master distiller responded with the best possible comeback: "I don't know, I don't put coke in mine." Great answer, sir.
Best Bourbon Tasting Experience - Heaven Hill
Believe it or not, Heaven Hill, maker of such mediocre bourbons as Evan Williams black label and Elijah Craig, had the best tasting. Not only because they let us sample the Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage, which has a surprisingly long and graceful finish, despite it's quick spiciness and smokiness, and the Elijah Craig 18 year Single Barrel, which is so complex and sweet that it could almost be compared to a cognac, but because the drinking experience was excellent. They house a ridiculously cool barrel-shaped room with a sweet wrap-around bar and high stools where the tasting occurs. They first get your taste and smell senses warmed up by asking you to identify two common scents (such as rosemary) blindly and apply that warm up to the real bourbon. We tasted the bourbon first neat, then with a few drop of water, and the difference was spectacular. I definitely recommend adding water to these bourbons if you ever have the pleasure. Pretty amazing stuff.
Best Grounds - Maker's Mark
My dad, basically a professional gardener and groundskeeper, would love this place. The grounds were gorgeous and in great shape, despite the wet and cold weather.
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