We left Bonnie and Earl’s place in Summersville, WV at 8 am and headed west towards Paduka, KY, the site of the National Quilt Museum. However, that distance was about 532 miles and it was unrealistic to expect that we would get there in one day, especially if we wish to accomplish a tour of a Bourbon Distillery along the way.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Therefore, we elected to visit Woodford Reserve Distillery, the oldest working distillery in Kentucky, that was located in Versailles, KY. The differences between Jack Daniels Distillery in the Nashville, TN area and this distillery were quite different. Jack Daniels filters their distillate through a tank of charcoal while the Woodford Distillery triple distills their bourbon and places it in charred oak casks. Jack Daniels places their barrels in separate areas of the storage facility and does not move them during aging while the Woodford Distillery blends their barrels from different locations in the storage facility prior to bottling. The quality of this product is very good. We purchased a bottle for about $39 to remind us of where we were.
I always thought that bourbon could only be made in Kentucky or Tennessee but it turns out that in reality, it is a legal definition requiring the following to be called a bourbon.
1. Made in the USA
2. Must have at least 51% corn. Rye and malted barley make the remainder of the grains.
3. It must enter the barrel at 125 proof and cannot enter the bottle at less than 80 proof.
4. The proof can only be adjusted by the addition of water. No coloring agents are allowed.
What is proof you ask? The term proof dates back to 16th century England, when spirits were taxed at different rates depending on their alcohol content. Spirits were tested by soaking a pellet of gunpowder in them. If the gunpowder could still burn, the spirits were rated above proof and taxed at a higher rate.[1] Gunpowder would not burn in rum that contained less than 57.15% ABV. Therefore, rum that contained this percentage of alcohol was defined to have 100 degrees proof.[2] The gunpowder test was officially replaced by a specific-gravity test in 1816.[1]
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| Three large copper stills provide triple distillation of this bourbon. |
We drove to Center City, KY for a distance of about 432 miles before roosting for the evening at a Best Western motel for $99/night. We ate at El Bracero, an “authentic Mexican restaurant” next to the motel that I would rate as 4 out of 5 stars.
Tomorrow, we continue westward with expectation of visiting the National Quilt Museum at Paducah, KY.
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