Louisville, Kentucky
When we got back from Europe, Britt and I decided that I needed a new car that we could road trip with and ended up with a new Subaru Crosstrek. We had some time off between Christmas/Boxing Day and New Years Eve. So what'd we do? Decide to drive about 1000 miles to Louisville, Kentucky. We packed up the car and went up to celebrate with our families in Maine. Once the festivities wound down, we set off to Louisville. We knew a little bit about the city from some quick research. We booked a hotel right next to Whiskey Row at The Courtyard Louisville Downtown.
We ended up getting into the city around three in the afternoon. It gave us a chance to check in, take a nap, and head out to grab some dinner and drinks. Right next to the hotel was Doc Crow's Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar. The service was great, the food was tasty, and the drinks were incredible! When we walked into the restaurant, the oysters caught Britt's eye. She had eaten oysters only one time before, and didn't think much of them. However, she wanted to give them another try. She bought one of each and gave them a try. She also had a pulled pork and I had an amazing grilled cheese. The food was so good that we ended up back here a few times over the next couple days. The real stars of the show were the drinks. Britt had a Pomegranate Lemonade Smash and I had my first ever sip of Pappy Van Winkle, 15 year. It was obviously not the least expensive glass of bourbon but it lived up to the hype. It was a little hot at first sip (it's 107 proof) but soon after came vanillas and caramels and just a bit of oak finish. It was the best bourbon I have ever tasted. After that, I had an old fashioned which was one of the better examples I have had. When you watched the bartenders, you could tell the effort and pride that they put into the drinks.
After dinner, we headed out to check out what the night had to offer. We walked down through the main touristy area with the Hard Rock Cafe and Jim Beam. Because it was a Sunday night, we realized pretty quickly, that the bars weren't very lively. We popped back in to Doc's for cocktails, and turned in for the night.
The next day we decided to do some bourbon distillery tours. We started at Wild Eggs where Britt had hash, a fried egg, and a savory muffin while I went with something way sweeter and got a cinnamon bun in a skillet. Our breakfast always seems to highlight our different tastes. Britt with her savory foods and me with all the sugar.
We had asked around the night before to figure out the ones to go to and headed over to Buffalo Trace Distillery. We learned a LOT about bourbon and what makes it different than every other Whiskey in the world. When you go to Buffalo Trace, not only do you get an education, you get an incredibly friendly tour guide who will show you all sorts of cool things about the distillery. The history of the place really gets you feeling nostalgic and even romantic about the bourbon they make. You get to learn what one building ages like versus another and even what the placement of the barrels do to the taste of the whiskey.
We had asked around the night before to figure out the ones to go to and headed over to Buffalo Trace Distillery. We learned a LOT about bourbon and what makes it different than every other Whiskey in the world. When you go to Buffalo Trace, not only do you get an education, you get an incredibly friendly tour guide who will show you all sorts of cool things about the distillery. The history of the place really gets you feeling nostalgic and even romantic about the bourbon they make. You get to learn what one building ages like versus another and even what the placement of the barrels do to the taste of the whiskey.
It was interesting to know that Buffalo Trace used only about 4 different recipes to produce over 12 different labels including the famous Van Winkle line.
At the end of the tour, we were able to watch Blanton's bourbon bottled and labeled. It took both Britt and I by surprise that these bottles were hand filled and labeled. That's probably why their bourbon tastes so damn good! After this we were brought up to the tasting room where we could try two different Bourbons and the decadent Bourbon Cream. We ended up leaving with a bottle of their barrel aged bitters due to the fact that they do not sell all that many bourbons within the gift shop.
After Buffalo Trace, we went to Woodford Reserve's Distillery. It was a stark contrast to the historic, genuine feel of the Buffalo Trace facility. The tour cost $10.00 per person and we were given wireless receivers and earbuds to start the tour. Now, the distillery that now produces Woodford Reserve is one of the oldest in the United States but Woodford Reserve was introduced into the market in 1996 after the distillery was renovated. The new technology and feel to Woodford did not reduce the charm of the 1800's buildings and barrel houses. There was so much to see and the blend of oak and caramel had as much of an impact as the towering racks of bourbon aging in barrels.
The height of the copper pot stills inside of old stone buildings gave you a glimpse at what it might have been like over one hundred and fifty years ago. At the end of the tour, we got a tasting of the two whiskeys produced and I also got to eat a delicious bourbon chocolate ball! The first one was their classic bourbon and their second was their double oaked whiskey. I have had Woodford Reserve plenty of times but the double oaked had a completely different taste. It was much more of a rich and concentrated taste. A bit more oak flavor and finished very smoothly. It went very well with the chocolate ball. It was a great afternoon of learning about bourbon and how it's made.
When we got back from the tours, we took some time to recharge and head back out for the Urban Bourbon Trail Experience. I took a look at the participating bars and set up a route to check a few of them out. To get on the list for the Urban Bourbon Trail you have to have FIFTY bourbons on your shelf. I don't think there's more than one or two places in Boston with fifty whiskeys on their shelves. Anyways, we actually started out with a tequila bar and Mexican restaurant called Wild Rita's. Britt had an interesting cocktail that had a mix of avocado, tequila, house sour mix, and agave and I had a whiskey cocktail. Again, you could tell that the bartender really cared about what we thought about the drinks that he served. It was apparent at every bar we went to in Louisville.
After Rita's, we went to Haymarket Whiskey Bar, Louisville's take on a little dive bar. Sitting between the moose on the wall, the coffee table Pac-Man arcade game, the PBR vending machine, and the pinball machines sat a long, galley style bar table with a very friendly bartender behind it. We sat down and I ordered a bourbon old fashioned and Britt got a recommendation for a Whisky Sour. We moved on and went to O'Shea's Irish Bar. This bar would've killed in a place like Boston but, on a Monday night, we were two of five or six people in the entire place. We each had a drink and moved on quickly. The bar itself was really nice with old wooden pieces from old bars in Ireland, the energy just fell flat.
After that, we went to the Troll Pub Under the Bridge for some food and drinks. Britt had an underwhelming Chili and I had a mediocre grilled cheese. The bar had a local feel and we did not pass the local test. We usually like places that feel more local but this place just wasn't our scene. At least the troll outside was cool.
The next bar had a more lounge feel to it and brought back the friendliness and warmth we felt everywhere else in Louisville. Side Bar made some great drinks for us with the care that we had become accustomed to here. After Side Bar, we turned in for the night.
After all the Bourbon and our best attempt at seeing Downtown Louisville in a single, rainy, Monday night, we decided to head south to Nashville. You can check out Britt's post about Nashville here.
When we got back from Nashville, went to dinner again at Doc's, and then wanted to go check out a couple of the swankier bars in Louisville. We walked over to the Proof on Main and ran into the only gem covered limousine that I have ever seen. The Proof on Main was a really nice bar with a very upscale feel. There were a mix of young couples and professionals wearing anything from jeans in a t-shirt to full on suits. There were even more well mixed cocktails here. Everything about this place felt upscale without being obnoxious about it.
After the Proof on Main, we finished our night with a drink at the Old Seelbach in the Seelbach Hilton. It's said that this bar is what inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald to write The Great Gatsby. You could tell when you walked into the bar that this place was born in that very error depicted in Gatsby. There was an overtone of tired hotel bar but it was still elaborately decorated. The drinks did not live up to our hype and were a bit too sweet for my liking. We knew that we had an early morning where we would drive fifteen plus hours east, so we decided to head back to the hotel. Louisville was an incredible city with a lot to see. We did mainly drink our way through the city but we met some great people and had some amazing experiences. Thank you Louisville.
0 comments: