This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is growing in popularity. In Louisville, the heart of Bourbon County, we discover the most emblematic spirit in the United States and the rich heritage that accompanies it.
Upon arrival at Muhammad Ali International Airport, one is greeted by large signs proclaiming slogans such as “ Louisville Home to the World’s Only Urban Bourbon Experience ” Or ” Welcome to Bourbon City! “.
We quickly understand that in Louisville, this drink is a local pride and that it is omnipresent there. The city even created an itinerary of restaurants, bars and hotels offering a complementary experience to the distilleries. The Urban Bourbon Trail offers us experiences like that of the historic Pendennis Club private club. Legend has it that a bartender invented the famous Old Fashioned there, somewhere between 1889 and 1895. You can still taste this famous cocktail there today.
In 2015, the mayor even declared the Old Fashioned to be the official drink of the municipality. Since then, during Old Fashioned Fortnight, which occurs every year during the first two weeks of June, bars serve their version of this iconic drink. On June 14, National Bourbon Day marks the crowning of the best cocktail. Even the famous Kentucky Derby horse race proudly proclaims that its Mint Julep, made with bourbon, lime juice, mint and simple syrup, is part of the Bourbon Trail Experience.
At the restaurant, fried chicken and marinated meats with bourbon sauce are among the specialties. The Brown Hotel, however, stands out with a dish dating back to Prohibition: the Hot Brown. It consists of a toast gratinated with pecorino cheese and garnished with slices of turkey covered with Mornay sauce, bacon and grilled tomatoes. The Hot Brown is a creation of chef Fred Schmidt who, in the 1920s, served 1,200 customers who came to the hotel every evening to party and drink their bourbon in secret. This dish is always served at the hotel’s brunch.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Created in 1999 by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, it includes in its circuit important distilleries which reveal their manufacturing process. Several are in Louisville County and some, like Michter’s or Evan Williams, are located in the Whiskey Row Historic District, within walking distance of each other.
West Main Street, once nicknamed “Whiskey Row,” once had 89 distilleries, almost all of which disappeared with Prohibition. On this street we find the Frazier History Museum, a welcome center for planning a trip focused on the iconic spirit. On the first floor of the building, the interactive exhibition The Spirit of Kentucky evokes the birth of bourbon in the United States.
We learn that in the 18th centurye century, the first settlers from Germany, Scotland and Ireland established themselves in Kentucky on land offered by the government. They grow corn, wheat, barley and rye. To avoid wasting anything, they distill the grains and make alcohol from them.
Due to the abundance of corn in Kentucky and the Corn Patch and Cabin Rights Act of 1776, settlers opted for this grain. This new spirit was named “bourbon”, in reference to Bourbon County in Kentucky, which was the main site of export to Louisiana via the Ohio River and the Mississippi River.
Recognized as a “distinctive commodity” by the United States Congress in 1964, bourbon is the only American spirit produced solely in the United States. However, bourbon can be made elsewhere in the country, even though 95% of the bourbon consumed today around the world is distilled and aged in Kentucky.
Distilleries to visit
The exact origins of bourbon remain vague. Who would have invented it? Pastor Elijah Craig? Evan Williams? Or Jacob Spears? Not everyone agrees on this in Kentucky and several distilleries are vying for the title of pioneer, citing certain historical aspects. What is certain is that all these distilleries remain interesting to visit and each will tell you its story.
To begin, we go to the first commercial distillery that would have emerged on Whiskey Row. It was in 1783 that a Welsh immigrant, Evan Williams, settled in Louisville to distill one of the first bourbons near the Ohio River. Even today, the eponymous brand is proud to display the words “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey” on the labels of its flagship products. To earn this mention, it is not only necessary to have a corn content of at least 51% in the mixture, but also to follow other precise distillation rules. Bourbons must also age for at least two years in new oak barrels that are fire-blackened inside. At Evan Williams, this duration is at least four years. Additionally, no colors, flavors, or any other alcohol should be added to bourbon. The particularity of this brand’s Square 6 drink is that we only distill one barrel per day!
Then head to Michter’s, which last year won the title of “most admired whiskey in the world” at the Drinks International competition. On the first floor of its interpretation center, we discover the still as well as the barrels where the mash and the sour mash ferment. On the second floor, the bar is a must, with its very popular cocktails. Its “Fort Nelson Crusta” is composed of Michter’s US*1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon, named to recall the heritage of the brand which claims to be the first American whiskey company to be founded in 1753 in Pennsylvania and repatriated to Kentucky to make it of Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
Tour of Old Louisville
You can’t leave the city without taking a tour of Old Louisville. Located near downtown, the neighborhood is known for its Victorian row houses built between the 1880s and 1910s. The city holds the record for the largest preserved Victorian neighborhood in the United States and also has its fair share of Interesting anecdotes. They are told by the guide, David Dominé, author of the book Old Louisville. Its towers take us to Millionaires Row, where the most sumptuous residences in the area are located. You will learn that the first residents of the area were nicknamed the “barons of Bourbon”, because they had made their fortune thanks to the precious liquid, and that the name of the city was given in honor of King Louis XVI, for his coup de hand in the war of independence.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.