Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail: Celebrating America’s Liquid Treasure
Story and Photos By Terri Marshall
Driving along Kentucky’s country roads from Louisville to towns like Loretto and Bardstown, warehouses filled with barrels of aging whiskey dot the rolling landscape and the unmistakable scent of whiskey permeates the air. This is bourbon country and the residents here are happy to share their liquid gold with visitors.
The best way to experience Kentucky’s bourbon treasures is along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Along the trail you will find all the big boys including Four Roses, Wild Turkey and Jim Beam. All the distilleries offer tours and tastings. While there are plenty of distilleries to visit and brands of bourbon to sample, one stands alone in richness of history and premium taste – Maker’s Mark.
The Maker’s Mark distillery was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1980, becoming the first distillery in America to be recognized as a national treasure. Maker’s Mark is the oldest operating bourbon distillery in the world.
Although the Samuels family has been making whisky (their preferred Scottish spelling) for eight generations, Maker’s Mark was born when Bill Samuels, Sr. decided to burn the 170 year old family recipe for whisky that “could blow your ears off” in favor of creating a smoother premium whisky even non-bourbon drinkers would enjoy.
The journey was anything but easy. Bill Sr. baked bread in the family home experimenting with different grains until he developed a new bourbon recipe based on locally grown corn, malted barley and soft, red, gentle winter wheat. In 1953, armed with is new recipe and a family tradition of whisky making, he bought and rebuilt a small distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. The property was home to a limestone-purified spring which became the base for Bill Sr.’s whisky. It took six long unprofitable years of aging before Bill Sr.’s experiment came to fruition.
While Bill Sr. was aging his whisky, his wife, Margie, was busy designing the Maker’s Mark bottle. Margie was the brains behind the signature hand-torn labels, the name of Bill Sr.’s new whisky and the signature wax-sealed bottles that are still hand-dipped today. Margie’s mark on Maker’s Mark bourbon will be honored this year as she will be the first woman to be inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame!
I toured the Maker’s Mark distillery with Rob Samuels, grandson of Bill Sr. and the current Chief Operating Officer for Maker’s Mark. Rob and everyone else at Maker’s Mark takes great pride in the bourbon they produce, from accepting a grain delivery to hand dipping the red wax seal on each bottle – a personal touch is part of every drop of whisky. Everything is done exactly as it was when Bill Sr. started the new brand – and there are no plans to change. The process is slow but Maker’s Mark is worth the wait.
This year Maker’s Mark celebrated its 60th anniversary by paying tribute to the vision of the founders of Maker’s Mark with the unveiling of an original artwork, The Spirit of the Maker. Created especially for Maker’s Mark by renowned artist, Dale Chihuly, it is the first of Chihuly’s work to be on public display in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Spectacular in appearance and scope, The Spirit of the Maker salutes those who have pioneered and redefined genres, refusing to be constrained by convention. The installation, made entirely of hand-blown glass elements is a stunning kaleidoscope of colors, shapes and forms. Visuals include deep browns and vibrant ambers emblematic of the Kentucky whisky, crystal blues reflective of the water from the distillery’s limestone spring-fed lake, as well as rich crimsons and reds – evocative of the signature red wax that has become an international symbol associated uniquely with Maker’s Mark bourbon. “Dale, much like my grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr., is an innovator who also revolutionized a genre: the art of glass blowing. We knew he was the perfect partner,” says Rob Samuels.
When you visit the Maker’s Mark distillery, you will learn more about this bourbon’s unique journey, sample bourbon at various stages of the aging process and you will have the opportunity to hand-dip your own bottle of Maker’s Mark in the signature red wax – it’s not as easy as you would think! www.makersmark.com
Distilling quality bourbon requires the right water, grains and aging process, but the distilling process starts with the right barrel. Whiskey barrels provide 100% of the bourbon’s color and 70% of its taste. As you might imagine, consistency with the barrels is necessary to provide a consistent flavor for each batch of bourbon. The folks at Kentucky Cooperage, Independent Stave Company, have been producing craft barrels for the Kentucky Bourbons including Maker’s Mark for over 100 years.
Tours are offered Monday through Friday providing visitors with an inside look at the barrel making process. From setting the 31 staves in place to “raise the barrel” to the charring process where flaming barrels are rolled out in dramatic fashion, the tour entertains as well as informs. But don’t try to find out how many barrels are produced – it’s a closely guarded secret and our tour guide said, “If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.” www.independentstavecompany.com
The rich history of Kentucky’s bourbon is meant to be celebrated. Set up your bourbon trail experience, roll out some barrels and sample America’s liquid treasure! www.kybourbontrail.com
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Terri is a freelance writer with regular columns on travel, chocolate and bar reviews. She is busy each month visiting new places to bring unique travel destinations and events to you. Yes, it is a sacrifice – but she is willing to do that for her readers! You can see more of Terri’s writing at www.examiner.com where she is the National Chocolate Examiner and at www.barzz.net. Also, check out her blog at www.trippingwithterri.com. You can contact Terri at terri.marshall60@gmail.com.