Trip to Kentucky - The Bourbon Trail - Churchill Downs

 We flew back on a Saturday, but since our flight wasn't until the afternoon (and it was delayed!), we were able to hit up Churchill Downs for a tour of the famed horse racing facility!

But first... food. We had a great breakfast at Wild Eggs, and even saw some people who had been on our Angel's Envy tour having breakfast there as well!

And then we made the very short trip to the very famous Churchill Downs. You might remember the story of Barbaro, the horse who won the Kentucky Derby, but shattered his leg during the Preakness. He lived a few months after the break, but eventually they had to put him to sleep. He's buried right here.

The home of the most exciting two minutes in sports, aka The Run for the Roses! It's also America’s longest continually running sporting event! Superlative, check!

Poor Barbaro. This was such a sad story.

Inside of the Kentucky Derby Museum, we picked up our tickets and went to check out the museum before our tour.

Right out of the museum gate (!!), you see an example of the electric starting gate, which really changed the world of horse racing when it was implemented here at Churchill Downs back in 1940. There are lots of autographs on this one from Derby winning jockeys!

I love a good wall of numbers and facts! I think my favorite stat is that in 1989, there was sleet and snow on the day of the Derby!

They had the 1984 race airing on this old TV and of COURSE, that year's Derby was won by my favorite horse, Swale! 

They even had a little info about the roses that the horse wears after they win. Did you know they just order these rose garlands from Kroger? HA!

I think my favorite exhibit was a fake window that you would walk up to so that you could place your bet on the next race that was going to air on the nearby TV in the room. Much like a real race, I just picked my horses based on odds and cool names. I really just wanted to yell, "COME ON NICKLE PICKLE!"

Todd sits among the crowd, ready for the race to start to see if his horses have won.

And look! Nickle Pickle won! I got win and place! How come I don't have this luck in real life?

You're my boy, Swale! Actually, Swale was 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew's boy... literally. Swale not only won the Kentucky Derby, but also won the Belmont Stakes that same year. He missed the Triple Crown by coming in 7th at the Preakness. Sadly, 8 days after the Belmont Stakes, Swale collapsed and died. They later found he had a fibrosis near his aorta which caused an arrythmia that led to a cardiac arrest. Probably not too unlike what Natalie had with SVT in that it interrupts the hearts normal electrical pathway. 

Although Todd and I have never been to the Kentucky Derby, we have been to the Belmont Stakes a couple of times. We always had a blast at the races (despite the fact that I think it rained EVERY year we went!). It's not quite as formal as the Derby, but it's fun to see the third race in the Triple Crown. Todd has been to the Preakness, too!

Finally, we were called to start our tour! The first stop on the tour is the Post Position Winners grid. No horse has ever won from position 17 - but the most horses have won from position 5. Place your bets accordingly!

We walked through the starting gate courtyard (wishing they had some mint juleps for sale!) and out to the seats right along the track.

One day, we will probably have to go to the Kentucky Derby! That's an outfit that needs to be planned well in advance though!

From our seats, our guide told us all about the twin spires (on the far right) and the winner's circle (out to the left near the flagpole). 

The Twin Spires (being the original part of the grandstand) were built here between 1894-1895 for a total cost of $42,000. 

Todd took a nice panorama of the grandstands.

I think one of the most interesting things we heard (and saw!) was that they water this sand every day. It's mostly made of actual river sand (about 75% - the rest is silt and clay). They even drove by and watered it while we were sitting there!

Well, we found the Mint Julep stand, why isn't anyone here to take our order!? Hilariously, as Todd stood here, the lights inside the stand turned on!

I hope this isn't as close as we get to the real Kentucky Derby!

We didn't get to see the whole museum before our tour, so we went back inside to check out the rest of it. They have a really cute display all about Secretariat, who won the Derby (and eventually the Triple Crown) in 1973 at a time of 1:59:40 - which is still the track record! There's a sign in here that says after Secretariat passed away in 1989, they found out his heart weighed 22 pounds - which is about 2.5 times the size of an average thoroughbred horse. They think this contributed to a more advanced cardiovascular system! Of course, that's never been proven, but it's a fun idea anyway!

Todd thinks he could beat a thoroughbred out of the gate. That's my stallion! (Oh man, that was really bad.... LOL!)

On display at the Churchill Downs Museum was a whole history on the fashion of the Kentucky Derby that spanned the entire 1.3 centuries of the Derby's existence. 

Many of these amazing outfits used the theme of the Derby, or at least of Kentucky (see the Maker's Mark and Wild Turkey nips stickers!) People get creative - and it often doesn't require a lot of money. This one features the Twin Spires, some horses, some horseshoes and of course, those bourbon stickers.

This display even showed how people were able to incorporate matching masks into their outfits for the 2021 Kentucky Derby.  The 2020 Kentucky Derby was not run in May of that year, but rather in September, and it was closed to spectators (although everyone was able to watch Authentic win on TV). The 2021 Derby allowed spectators, but social distancing and masks were required.

I'm so glad we were able to fit in a visit to Churchill Downs - but ultimately, we had to get back to the airport to catch our flight home. I mean, not without having another drink at Book and Bourbon in the Louisville Airport!  This place is actually the FIRST stop on the Urban Bourbon Trail (which has kind of jumped up in place of the original Bourbon Trail). COOL!  We met a nice guy who had a Bourbon Trail passport book who was trying to get a stamp here. We had a nice chat about our visit!

After our drink at Book and Bourbon, we had some time to kill because our flight was delayed. So we stopped at the Bourbon Academy Tasting Room and they had Weller 90 for only $12! Yes, and please! This isn't a very expensive bottle of Weller, it's just VERY hard to find.

What OTHER airport as bourbon barrels as a decoration in it!? Louisville, you rule.

I was FINALLY on the correct side of the plane to see my grandparents farm from the sky.  There's no way any of you will know where this is, so I put a little blue circle around it! Truth be told, I took a ton of pictures and then checked it up against Google Maps to find the exact location. I know where some landmarks are (Perfect North Slopes, the big power station along the Ohio River near the 275 bridge, etc.) so it made it much easier to find the farm.

And of course, Boston greeted us with a spectacular sunset. As much as I love to travel, it's always good to be home.

I'll leave you with a perfect picture of our two bottles that we got to hand dip at Maker's Mark. It still feels like a dream that I got to visit my very favorite distillery, and I can't wait to go back!

Until next time, Bourbon Trail!

Trip to Kentucky - The Bourbon Trail (Bluegrass Distillery, Buffalo Trace & Rabbit Hole Distillery)

 This was a super fun day touring three distilleries east of or in Louisville. We had a van with a driver, which made it extra fun because we did not have to worry about ANYTHING! Bruce was our man the whole day!

Bluegrass Distillery was our first stop of the day and this was the sleeper of the trip!

Here we are with our new buddies, Austin and Hunter, who we chatted with several times throughout the day. 

I think I liked this because their flagship bourbon was 75% corn! This distillery only opened in 2023 although they were founded in 2012.

Tom from Wisconsin was our guide and he was really great! He was pointing out that they grow their own blue corn here - no need to outsource it. They've got it right here!

The old building at Elkwood Farm that is now the Bluegrass Distillery visitor's center was built in 1835. They do a lot of functions and weddings here, too.

So after a first tasting in that beautiful, old building, we went off to see the distillery production! The cooker holds 12,000 gallons and the mash is cooked for 8-10 hours. 

Uniquely, Bluegrass Distillery was still cooking, fermenting and distilling the bourbon when we visited! This is because they are a smaller distillery that isn't quite as established as say, a Jim Beam. Hooray!  The cooked mash is put in this tank where they add the yeast. It ferments here for four days.

Tom told us all about the still too - most of the still's around here are copper, as this one is. I can't remember but I think this was the high wine.

She's a beauty!

We passed the tasting area on our way to the barreling and bottling area. More on this in a second!

Bluegrass Distillery uses Canton Cooperage barrels with a level 3 char. 

There was a small crew labeling the bottles and marking them with their bottle numbers by hand. Super impressive!

Our last tasting of the tour included either the Midway Lee's Branch rye that was finished in toasted French Oak barrels, or the Bluegrass Toasted Oak. This one is finished in a toasted oak barrel for only 21 days after it's removed from the aging barrel. YUM! Sure wish I could find this gem in Massachusetts (or anywhere in New England for that matter!)

After the tour and the tasting, we went to the bar and had another drink. I'm pretty sure the whole world judges me for drinking bourbon with Diet Coke BUT it's really the only way I can actually taste the bourbon.

Once outside and heading back to the van, I took this picture of Todd in front of the corn silo.

Goodbye blue corn from Bluegrass. Hope to drink you soon!

Bruce drove us to lunch after our stop at Bluegrass Distillery - thank goodness for a driver!

Lunch was really good at The Goose and Gander in Midway. Midway was a really cute little town!

I feel like I'm on a movie set! 

Our next stop was the famed Buffalo Trace distillery. Getting tickets here for their tours is really difficult, so with this particular excursion that we were on, they dropped us off to could do the tasting and see the property on our own. So no tour here.

But we did enjoy a delightful and knowledgeable tasting!

Our selections included Buffalo Trace (of course), Sazerac, Blanton's and even Wheatley Vodka, which we really weirdly enjoyed!

We went back outside after our tasting (and our small purchase in the gift shop!). You can really see the whiskey fungus on the side of this building! This fungus feeds on the ethanol that's released from the barrels (aka: the angel's share) and it covers EVERYTHING.

They can just roll their barrels right down the tracks. It kind of looks like a roller coaster ride!

Even the visitor's center is covered in the black fungus.

We were told that this is the ONLY place in the world where they bottle the delicious Blanton's bourbon! And they hand bottle these ONE AT A TIME. If you know to book ahead, you can get a tour of this little facility.

The Buffalo Trace property is compact but very pretty. The National Park Service designated it a National Historic Landmark in 2013. They say that the site contains a diverse group of buildings and structures that range in date from about 1880 to 1953. This allowed for an "unparalleled opportunity to study the evolution of building types, building materials and construction technology associated with the American whiskey industry." COOL!

Warehouse V is where they are currently storing their 8 millionth barrel of Buffalo Trace! For every millionth milestone, they switch out the barrel, and this warehouse is only allowed to store ONE barrel at a time. It all started in 1952 when they housed their 2 millionth barrel (after prohibition) here!

There it is! The 8 millionth barrel that was filled on November 29, 2022.

After our stop to see Warehouse V, we moved on to Warehouse C, which is "a fine example of rick construction." Here, wooden beams support the entire weight of 24,000 barrels. The walls are 18 inches thick, which helps control the temperature in times of extreme heat or cold. They also do have some shuttered windows, which they also open or close depending on the temperature.

The name Buffalo Trace is a throw back to the millions of buffalo that used to roam Kentucky. This land used to be where buffalo and early pioneer trekked across Kentucky, migrating to the west.

Me and some DELICIOUS bourbon barrels! Eagle Rare, I'm lookin' at you...

Buffalo Trace is certainly in it for the aesthetics!

Next stop, Rabbit Hole Distillery! Ok, this is a good one because they sell this bourbon in our state!

We were literally late arriving because of traffic since this distillery is back in Louisville, so we immediately rushed into our tour, and working a bit backwards, saw the barreling facility before anything else. We watched as this guy rolled these barrels into the room and David said, "These barrels weigh 125 pounds without any bourbon in them!" WHAT!? This guy was just moving them around like they didn't weigh anything at all!

Are you going to bourbon tonight? Of course I'm going to bourbon tonight.

David explained that Rabbit Hole actually developed their own mash recipe which is somewhat rare in this field. Most mash recipes are recycled from other distilleries but Rabbit Hole uses specialty malts in their mash. Then, the malt is actually crunched down by using a roller mill, and not a hammer mill like many of the other distilleries. From there, they will eventually enter one of these 8,000 gallon fermenters. Again, we didn't get to see this in many of the other places we visited so this was a neat experience!

Stick your fingers right in there and get ya a taste!  David said we could do this, so don't worry, we had permission!

Todd took this cool picture of David with the still and the fermentation tanks behind him. I look like I'm not paying attention but I'm actually taking notes on my phone! Cause I'm a bourbon nerd.

The still here is 48 feet tall and 26" wide. This produces your white dog - although David called it the "hillbilly love wine" lol!

Here we have the (what will become) bourbon that just went through a second run through the still. It goes through twice - the first, to produce low wine, and the second to produce high wine. What you see here is 138 proof high wine!  After this, it's off to be cut down to 110 proof as it enters the barrels.

We passed this fine gentleman on our way to the tasting room.

Lights to the left darks to the right. 

These are the bottled we tried at Rabbit Hole. All very good! And I'm happy to report that we can actually purchase this bourbon in Massachusetts!

After our tour and tasting, we all grabbed a drink at the bar (yes, another one!) and enjoyed the views of Louisville from Rabbit Hole!

I didn't get any pictures of the drinks that we had with our new friends Austin and Hunter - who were the ONLY people from the entire tour (along with us!) who took the tour company up on their offer for a free drink at the bar at Galt House Hotel where the van dropped us off at the end of the day. Afterwards, Todd and I went to Mussel and Burger Bar (at my friend Heather's recommendation) for a delicious dinner!

And then, of course, we had to walk it off. Wait, was Old Forester actually open and we didn't go inside?

Nobody puts horsie in the corner!  This beautiful horse was painted by Liz Richter and sponsored by Families for Effective Autism Treatment.

There's so much amazing street art to see in Louisville. Muhammed Ali was born and raised here so, of course... a portrait.

We didn't go in this bar, but we loved the offer of a warm Kentucky hug!  That is, of course, that burning feeling you feel in your chest when you're drinking bourbon!

Wait, where am I? What year is it?

After our delicious dinner and stroll around the city, we landed back at the hotel, where we snapped this picture in the lobby. This picture makes me dizzy!

Until next time, Bourbon Trail! We will DEFINITELY be back for a visit!