Woodford Reserve Distillery

I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving with lots of family and friends and delicious food! This year I tried a new turkey recipe that called for soaking the turkey overnight in a brine. I was nervous that the bird would come out horribly salty but I think it was actually the best roast turkey I’ve ever tasted. It was super juicy and flavorful (check it out here).  My daughter was in charge of the desserts and made a pumpkin pie to die for (sorry, I don’t know the secret for that one, something about NOT using condensed sweetened milk), plus a fabulous pecan pie and an apple pie. Desserts are always my favorite part of the holidays!

I never shop on Black Friday. I just can’t handle the crowds. Personally, I’ll spend a little more money just to avoid the hassles of searching for parking places and standing in long lines. I’ve sworn off the big box stores anyway. I prefer to seek out the unique shopping venues like fu-fu coffee shops or museum stores.

So, instead of battling it out at Walmart, I went to the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, KY. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and temps in the 40’s. The drive down was enjoyable once you left the highway… typical rolling hills and horse farms of Kentucky’s Bluegrass region. Unfortunately, I got to the distillery too late to get a tour, so I had to be content with wondering around the grounds on my own and trying a free sample of their bourbon. I’ll have to get an earlier start next time and do the tour so I learn how bourbon is made. I’m told that all bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon, and the folks here say that with pride. Kentucky has seven major distilleries within a hundred miles of each other and another seven craft distilleries sprinkled around the state. They even have bus tours if you want to visit them all. It’s quite the tourist operation. And why not? Horse racing and bourbon making, Kentucky’s got it going on!

A distressed-steel-and-whiskey-barrel horse sculpture, by James N. Burnes, greets you at the property entrance. I learned that the distillery also owns thoroughbred stables, which were established with the attempt to foster a relationship between bluegrass whiskey makers and bluegrass race horse breeders. It began in 2006 with a filly cleverly named "Distill My Heart". Unfortunately, according to the tour guides, Burnes’ statue was the only horse she ever beat during her racing career. Maybe they should stick to bourbon!

Here is the distillery as seen from the welcome center. Next time I’ll get a peek inside.