Oh Kentuckyucky.

We had such a great time in Louisville, which was a surprisingly hip area!  Full of tiny botiques, independent resturants and coffehouses, great bars and music venues everywhere…Lousiville had it all.

We ate pizza the size of our head at Papalinos before we interviewed Scott Shuffit, co-founder of Lebowski Fest.

This was amazing.  Light, thin and chewy crust, tons of cheese, fresh basil shredded on top…mmm.  Chip got Italiano sausage on his.  So good.

Lousiville is without a doubt the coolest part of Kentucky.

After interviewing Scott Shuffitt we headed to Molly Malone’s for a celebration drink.  Louisville has a huge Irish population.  Seriously, it sounded like every waiter at this bar had just hopped off a plane from Dublin.

As we are drinking our beers we overheard an interview going on by the local news channel and Alex Reymundo.  Alex is one of the orginal Latin Kings of Comedy and has had shows on HBO and toured with Ron White.  He asked me to borrow a pen, and next thing you know Chip and I scheduled an interview with him for The Dream Share Project the next day!

After our interview with Alex, which was SO GOOD, can’t wait to edit the video, we decided victory bevarages were in order (again, I know).

Another Irish pub, another beer.  This time the sampler was in order this.  Falls City is a Kentucky special…and it was goshdarn good!

Where did we go for our second bourbon distillery tour you might ask?

Oh Wild Turkey.  You are pretty near and dear to my heart after a little incident we now refer to as Wild Turkey Thursday.

The Wild Turkey tour was the same information, new place.  This distillery is way bigger then Maker’s Mark and really industrial.

And of course, the best part of the tour…tasting.

Chip and I both tried the Honey Wild Turkey, a new liquor that had honey and citrus notes in it, along with “bourbon” flavor.  The Chip tried Rare Breed Wild Turkey and I tried Kentucky Spirit, a single barrel, aged ten years bourbon.

It was quite…

refreshing!

Today was a beautiful day in Kentucky.  We packed up our tent, got the heck out of dodge (aka Beech Bend Campground and/or NASCAR Nation) and took a meandering drive (seriously, I thought we had taken a turn to Bon Temps) down to Loretto to visit the Maker’s Mark Distillery.

Bourbon whiskey (or whisky as they spell it at Maker’s Mark) is the only American spirit.  To be considered true bourbon the alcohol must be made with at least 51% corn, contain no additives, be made from only American supplies and be “pure.”

Our tour started out in the orginal, and restored, Samuels house, the family who created Makers Mark bourbon. 

(That’s Bill Samuels, an heir to Maker’s Mark on the phone with Chip)

Next up we learned how bourbon is actually created.

There are six main steps.  First you grind the corn and grain.  Then you mash in barley, along with water, into the grain.  Next the mash is drained, and all of the leftover liquid goes into the fermentation tanks.   The Maker’s Mark tanks hold 15,000 gallons!  After the fermentation the actual distilling process begins, and then finally the product is poured into barrels that are burned on the inside.  The whiskey ages for at a minimum of three years.  Some of Maker’s Mark whisky ages for up to ten years!

Then came the best part of the tour…tasting.

Don’t you like his eyes?

We learned to actually get the full effect of the bourbon, to swirl, sniff then taste while breathing through your mouth.  Let me tell you, that was potent.

The wanderings continue…