The Bourbon Belt-- Part 1

From the february 3, 2013, Chicago Tribune by Steve Dolinsky.

Ever since stopping at a bourbon place in Elizabethtown, I think, (perhaps Heaven Hill) way back when with a road trip group, I have wanted to get back to some more, especially since I have taught myself to like bourbon and scotch now.  However, they were way too expensive in the tasting/gift store so didn't buy any and regretted it when we got back to our motel, the Wigwam Village in Cave City and found that county was dry.  Hard to believe a dry county in this day and age.  How quaint.

This article just reconfirms my desire to hit the trail again.

Not surprisingly, Jim Beam in Clermont, Ky., is the world's largest bourbon producer.  To take the 90-minute tour and do the tasting, it costs $8 and you get "a meager two-ounce taste."  And that, just one-ounce at a time which would be alright with me because in such places, I like to sample several different varieties.  But, you get a "keepsake plastic cup."  Steve Dolinskey tried the premium ones like Basil Hayden, Booker's and Knob Creek.  Well, I've heard of the last one.

For those of you who have never tried it or don't like it (as do many), Dolinsky describes it as having "the aroma of cooked corn bread that's been steeped in caramel, then somehow programmed to instantly heat up when it hits the back of your throat..."

Probably one of my favorite Jim Beam products now is Red Stag. 

Let's Get a Barrel On.  --RoadDog