American Whiskey                                                                                           Tasting Notes

Heaven Hill   |   Jim Beam  |  Maker's Mark  |  Four Roses  |  Woodford Reserve  |  Brown-Forman/Bernheiw

Buffalo Trace  |  Wild Turkey 

The art of distilling and making whiskey was exported to the Colonies from the British Isles even as the American colonies themselves were growing. Here the spirit of independence and rebellion marked the departure of American whiskeys from their British cousins in both technique and taste.

In the late 18th Century, American farmers who distilled whiskey rose up against the federal government in the new nation's first large-scale protest, the Whiskey Rebellion. They opposed the levying of a tax on spirits merely to raise revenues (although it was purportedly intended to curb excessive drinking). In 1794, President George Washington marched into western Pennsylvania leading an army of 13,000 to quell the rebellion, a move that many Americans saw as an unnecessary show of force. In the end, two people were convicted of treason, but later pardoned by President Washington.

In the beginning, Americans made use of a native crop—corn—in the production of their brews. If you had offered one of the cask-aged blends of the modern American whiskey to an 18th century home-distiller, he'd have had difficulty recognizing it as his favorite drink. On the other hand, if you offered him some Russian vodka, his face would break into a smile of recognition. As well it should, since rye distillation developed in Russia and even though other grains were available, the rye imported by the Eastern Europeans to the New World was the grain of choice. Ironically, three hundred years later, many Irish and Scotch distillers are also using rye as a grain of choice.

Bourbon and Rye Whiskey
Two of the major American blends are bourbon and rye. The principal difference between the two is that rye is made almost exclusively from rye grain while bourbon is made from three grains—but never combinations of wheat and rye. Use one, or use the other; that is the tradition. While most of the bourbon comes from Kentucky, it's not one of the requirements to be labeled a bourbon.

Virginia Whiskey
Whiskey goes back a long way in Virginia all the way to George Washington's Whiskey Distillery in Mount Vernon.
Hear more about Virginia whiskey with Chuck "Moonshine" Miller from Belmont Farms Distillery.

Virginia Moonshine, Belmont Farms Click Here to Listen

Tennessee Whiskey
The other major American whiskey type is the distinctive Tennessee whiskey (which must be made in Tennessee). While Tennessee whiskey is very similar to bourbon, the Tennessee whiskey must undergo the "Lincoln County Process," which requires the whiskey to be filtered through approximately 10 feet of maple charcoal. This process takes about ten days and gives the whiskey a unique flavor and aroma. It also tends to mellow the whiskey.

Two major distillers represent this class: Jack Daniels and George Dickel. Both of these distillers use a process called "sour mash." The yeast from previous batches of fermented mash is used in the new batch much like the way sourdough bread is made, hence the name sour mash. The corn, barely, and rye mixtures of these sour mash products give them a unique flavor.

HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERIES BOURBON HERITAGE CENTER
1311 Gilkey Run Road
Bardstown, KY
502.337.1000
www.bourbonheritagecenter.com
www.heavenhill.com
funfolks@bourbonheritagecenter.com


The tradition of making fine Bourbon whiskey runs deep at Heaven Hill Distilleries. Founded in Bardstown by the five Shapira brothers shortly after Prohibition, Heaven Hill has become the largest independent family-owned producer and marketer of distilled spirits. Famous as a distiller of world-renowned Bourbons such as Evan Williams, Elijah Craig and Old Fitzgerald, Heaven Hill is home to the world's second largest holding of aging Kentucky whiskey, representing over 16% of the world's future supply.

Heaven Hill's new state-of-the-art Bourbon Heritage Center was designed to provide visitors with the ultimate educational and entertainment experience in the making and the history of what was designated "America's Native Spirit" by a 1964 act of Congress. The Bourbon Heritage Center features high-tech interactive exhibits about Bourbon history and Bourbon making, as well as an orientation theater, a unique barrel-shaped tasting room and a gift shop. At the Bourbon Heritage Center, you can enjoy the "Portrait of Heaven Hill" movie, visit a working Rickhouse, and learn about the romance and lore of Bourbon. The Bourbon Hosts will lead you on a guided tasting of Heaven Hill's fine Bourbons, and you can create your own personalized bottle to take home as a keepsake.

From Louisville: I-65 south to exit 112, Hwy. 245 east to Bardstown, Hwy. 31 south to center of town, go 3/4 around courthouse onto 150 east to Hwy. 49 south. The Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center is located on the right, just past the corporate offices.

From Lexington: Bluegrass Parkway west to Bardstown exit, west on U.S. 150 to Hwy. 49 south. The Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center is located on the right, just past the corporate offices.

Tours:
Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 - 5:00, and Sundays from 12:00 – 4:00 (closed Sundays in January and February). Tours run repeatedly throughout the day; the last tour starts one hour before closing. Closed Mondays and major holidays. (Sorry, no tastings or liquor sales on Sundays).

Reservations required for group tours of more than 10 people. Motorcoach parking available.

 

JIM BEAM
149 Happy Hollow Road Clermont, Kentucky 502.543.9877 www.jimbeam.com
	Small Batch Bourbon
www.smallbatch.com

The Jim Beam Process of Perfection
Jim Beam is a bourbon of great finesse and subtle nuance, neither light nor heavy, but rather a mellow "baritone" of a spirit. It is distinctive not because it is different,
but because it is perfect.


An American Legend
For more than 200 years, the Beam family has been in the business of making the world's best-selling bourbon.

Of all the families who claim more than one generation of whiskey makers, none has been as prominent as the Beam family. To get some sense of how ubiquitous this one family has been in the American whiskey industry, imagine if every state government had at least one high-ranking official named Kennedy, or if every new movie starred at least one Barrymore.

Generations of Beams have been involved with the Jim Beam Brands Company, of course, but virtually every other current distillery has had Beams on its payroll at one time. Heaven Hill, for example, has never had a distiller who was not named Beam.

In 1788, the same year that the Constitution of the United States was ratified and took effect, Jacob Beam, the great grandfather of the legendary Jim Beam, decided to go west to seek a better life. He loaded up all of his belongings, strapped his copper still to the back of his second-hand wagon and traveled west, settling in Kentucky shortly before it was admitted to the Union as the 15th state in 1792.

A farmer but also a miller by trade, Jacob built a water-driven mill where he would grind people's corn for a percentage of their crop. Extra grain was difficult to store in those days, and even tougher to get to market. Beam knew that whiskey provided the safest and most economical way to use surplus corn. It wasn't subject to mildew, was easy to transport and was considered even more valuable than unstable Continental currency.

Using his own still, Jacob began to produce an amber-colored whiskey made from a fermented mash of corn, rye and malt. The product -- which used more corn than any other ingredient -- was called bourbon, after Kentucky's Bourbon County. Beam sold his first barrel of bourbon in 1795.

Jacob passed the family bourbon-making traditions on to his son, David, in 1820. During David's tenure as Master Distiller, the nation was embarking on the industrial age. As the discovery of California gold brought hundreds of Americans west, new immigrants were pouring into America in search of freedom and fortune. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 and navigation on the Mississippi made the shipping of goods, like bourbon, easier and more accessible than ever.

David M. Beam, son of David and grandson of Jacob, took over the distillery and the family's bourbon-making secrets in 1850, a few years before the Civil War began. Soon after his father died in 1854, David moved the distillery to Nelson County, KY, closer to the state's first railroad. He called his new home the Clear Spring Distillery, after the clear, spring water found in a nearby river.

David M. brought his son, the legendary James "Jim" Beauregard Beam, into the business when he was 16. David taught him the same skills and knowledge of bourbon making that his father handed down to him. Jim took over the family distillery in 1894 at the age of 30, and for the next 52 years, continued to oversee the distillation process.

Jim Beam's company continued to grow and prosper during the early 1900s until it was forced to shut down during Prohibition in 1919. During the 14 years of Prohibition, Beam sold all of his liquor holdings to take up citrus growing in Florida, then coal mining and running a limestone quarry.

With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the 70-year-old Jim Beam returned to distilling and incorporated The James B. Beam Distilling Co., in Clermont, KY, on August 14, 1934. Eleven years later, in 1946, Jim Beam's son, T. Jeremiah Beam, became President and Treasurer of the James B. Beam Distilling Co. Jim Beam died one year later at the age of 83.

Jeremiah saw that his sister's son, F. Booker Noe, Jr., had the family passion and talent for bourbon making. Jeremiah brought his nephew into the family distillery when he was 21. At Jeremiah's side, Booker learned the family bourbon-making traditions and secrets.

Under Booker's watchful eye, the Jim Beam distillery still uses the same vintage yeast strain created by Jim Beam in 1934. Today, as Jim Beam Bourbon celebrates



 

MAKERS MARK DISTILLERY
3350 Burks Springs Road Loretto, Kentucky 270.865.2099 www.makersmark.com

Distinctive brown paint and red shutters of the historic wood frame buildings greet visitors to the distillery on the banks of Hardin's Creek near the town of Loretto. Established in 1805 as a gristmill/distillery, it is the nation's oldest working distillery on its original site and has been named a National Historic Landmark.

Experience a step back in time on a stroll through the buildings and around the grounds on a guided tour. Maker's Mark is one the smallest distilleries, crafting Bourbon in
batches of less than 19 barrels. The polished copper still adds bright contrast to the aging rustic wood of the still house. Maker's Mark proclaims proudly that its Bourbon is hand-made at every step, from selecting the grains to hand-dipping the bottles in red wax. Visitors get to hand-dip their own bottle of Maker's Mark in warm red wax when making a purchase in the gift shop. No bourbon sales on Sunday.

From Louisville: I-65 south, exit 112, Hwy. 245 east to Bardstown, US 150 east through center of Bardstown to KY 49 south to Loretto, follow brown signs.

From Lexington: Blue Grass Pkwy. West to Bardstown exit, west on US 150 to KY 49 south to Loretto, follow brown signs. Approximately 30 minutes from Bardstown.


 

FOUR ROSES
1224 Bonds Mill Road Lawrenceburg, Kentucky 502.839.3436 http://www.fourroses.us

Upon arrival at Four Roses the visual presence of the Spanish Mission style architecture of the
distillery building is the first indication of a forthcoming pleasant experience.

Visitors are warmly greeted at the Welcome Center, and detailed tours originate from here. You'll learn about the history of Kentucky Bourbon and Four Roses history - which dates back to the 1860's.

A single tourist, or a large group, will be able to see, smell and feel the distillation process in action, and discover how Four Roses uniquely distills 10 Bourbon flavors annually. After a tour visitors are welcome to visit the Gift Shop.


 

BUFFALO TRACE
1001 Wilkinson Boulevard Franklin Co., Kentucky 502.696.5926 800.654.8471 www.buffalotrace.com

Legendary explorers, pioneers and settlers followed ancient paths of buffalo that led America westward through rugged wilderness to new lands and new adventures. Today the bold heritage of mighty buffalo and the pioneering spirit of those early Americans are found at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Just north of Frankfort, Buffalo Trace is located on a site settled by surveyors at the point on the Kentucky River that intersected one of the trails. That trail was known as the Great Buffalo Trace.

At the distillery you will experience warehouses aging the most highly-decorated whiskey of the decade as well as the original procedure of producing single barrel Bourbon, which began in 1983 and continues to this day. Walk along the rolling green hills, enjoy a taste of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and take a trip through our gift shop for Buffalo Trace Bourbon and gifts

I-64 to Frankfort. Take US 60 west (exit 58) and continue straight about 5 miles. Look for the water tower and the mansion on the hill. The distillery entrance is directly below the mansion.





 

WILD TURKEY
WILD TURKEY US Highway 62 East Lawrenceburg, Kentucky 502.839.4544 www.wildturkeybourbon.com

Premium Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has been distilled on Wild Turkey Hill for generations. And, sitting on the crest of a hill that overlooks the Kentucky River, the Wild Turkey Distillery possesses an outward appearance as simple and unadorned as the traditional distilling methods used inside.

The legendary Master Distiller Jimmy Russell watches over this time-honored process with a careful eye at every turn. While following the production process from grain delivery to bottling, you'll be able to see our unique 40-foot high column still, watch new bourbon being poured into hand crafted oak barrels and stroll through our timber warehouses.

Make sure to stop by our gift shop to bring home a souvenir of your visit.

From Louisville: I-64 east to KY 151 south to US 127 south to US 62 east to distillery.

From Lexington: US 60 west to Versailles, US 62 west to distillery.