Below is the Kentucky River, the same river that runs through Frankfort. I wish I'd been able to snap a better picture of the high railroad bridge that crosses it.
The drive is so calm and even these vacant back roads seem polished and well-maintained. And plopped right down in the middle, surrounded by horses and pastures, is the distillery.
The atmosphere felt much different than our visit to Buffalo Trace. More like a country club, with plenty of grassy hillsides and a homey visitor's center.
While we waited for our tour to being, I couldn't resist trying a sweet corn cookie from the bakery. It was awesome - very buttery, sweet and distinctly corny. I've got to find a recipe and try making these at home.
Their basic tour includes a walk through of bourbon making - including a literal tour through various facilities. This tour did not share much history about the distillery itself, other than saying that it's "one of the oldest". Rather it focused on what makes Woodford's bourbon unique.
(working on the selfie skills)
Bourbon starts with a mixture of different grains - like corn, rye, wheat and barley - and each brand uses their own ratio of these ingredients. Woodford uses more corn than many bourbons, which they proudly say adds a unique sweetness to their product not found elsewhere.Kentucky water is another brag-worthy attribute. The same limestone plate that made the beautiful Mammoth Cave makes the water here free of iron and high in calcium. Which means horses grow strong bones and bourbons grow delicious flavors.
To the right are tall fermentation vaults where the whiskey brews first begin. The wood is from cypress trees, so these giant vats are pretty immune to rot. Woodford allows its whiskey mixtures to ferment for a few days, longer than many other competitors. Upstairs, we got to see the top of these giant bubbling brews.
After doing this yuck face, we had the opportunity to taste this mixture, which is called mash. It wasn't bad. Isaac pointed out that it tasted similar to makheoli, a Korean fermented alcohol made with rice and other grains.
The tour guide pointed out that Woodford uses their own unique yeast strain which is kept under lock and key somewhere in downtown Louisville. They've been using this strain since 1929. I pulled her aside to ask her the year once more. Prohibition ended in 1933, so it just seemed a little odd that they started using it a few years before. But like I said, this tour didn't touch on history, so I guess I'll never know why.
Next it's distillation time. These three giant copper stills are iconic at Woodford. They were made by some famous craftsman in Scotland, the same kind used to make Scotch over there for many years. So products here are distilled not once but three times.
Our tour guide passed around the resulting liquid after distillation so that everyone could get a whiff of the clear, pungent white dog.
Below on the right is a shot of the barrel rolling tracks. The length of track runs from the distillery room to the warehouse.
We poked our heads in and out of the warehouse. Woodford Reserve's bourbon does not remain in the warehouse for a specific amount of time, such as 7 years. Rather, master tasters start checking barrels after a few years and barrels are pulled whenever the taste matches Woodford's signature flavor profile.
Then the bottling room. Here our tour guide pulled the cork out of a barrel and filled a small glass for us all to sniff.
While waiting for our tour time of 2:10 pm and munching on that corn cookie, Isaac and I saw other groups of people having their taste-testings on the back porch and in a separate room in the main visitors' center. Apparently our tour were lucky, for we got to enjoy our taste testing within the warehouse.The atmosphere was beautiful and we did feel pretty special gathered around our bourbon barrel tables.
Even for this part, our tour guide had special information sharing why Woodford's bourbon is so unique. She guided us through the taste testing, suggesting that we take two small sips first to acclimate our palette. Then a chocolatey nibble off the corner of our bourbon ball, chased by a third sip of the bourbon.
Woodford Reserve's master tasters have identified over 200 flavor notes in their bourbon - including coffee, vanilla, marzipan, banana.
The flavor note thing seems kind of funny to me. Just because when I sip warm bourbon, the overwhelming flavor is burning alcohol. Many different flavors can be imagined beneath that one dominating taste. Kind of like when closing your eyes at night, technically it's darkness, yet you can see a thousand different things - teethy creatures and warping faces are most common for me. But maybe my palette just isn't sophisticated enough.
Woodford Reserve's basic tour was very picturesque. There were several moments when we lagged behind the group to take advantage of photo ops, and when I pulled Isaac aside and whispered "stand here!" or "take a picture of me!"
It feels wrong to compare this place with Buffalo Trace Distillery because they are so different - yet I can't help but do so.
Woodford was a nice and comfortable introduction to bourbon making. At times it felt like an hour long sales pitch of why Woodford is the best, but following and seeing the liquid from start to finish was an awesome experience. I did miss learning any history about the place, but can't blame them for focusing on the product for an introductory tour. Tickets are $14 per person, but that's comparable to all of the distilleries on the Bourbon Trail*.
*(which, just FYI, is a registered trademark of the Kentucky Distiller's Association. Various distilleries have to pay to be a member of the KDA and a part of the official Bourbon Trail and its plethora of marketing. We learned this after I asked about the Bourbon Trail on our ghost tour at Buffalo Trace and received a shockingly curt response. Apparently there was a legal tiff between Buffalo Trace and the KDA. The only important thing to know is that this means tours are free at Buffalo Trace Distilleries but cost money everywhere else.)
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