What whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for. — Irish Proverb
This past week was spring break at most Greenwood schools, which doesn’t mean much for me, but it was vacation time for my boyfriend, who is a teacher.
A few months ago we decided we would take advantage of the break this year and head up to visit the Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon trails. I took two days off of work, as did my sister and her husband, who live in Virginia and who met up with us for the trip.
I’ve never been much of a whiskey or bourbon drinker myself, so I was more interested in the historical aspect of the trip, as these liquors do have a rich heritage, especially here in the South.
One might wonder why we would choose to take a whole tour of distilleries though. If you’ve seen one, haven’t you seen them all?
Well, in a way, yes. I do feel that after witnessing over and over how whiskey is distilled, I have become something of an expert and could now begin making my own moonshine if I so desired.
However, each facility had its own personality and style. From the George Dickel Distillery, where guests had to wear safety goggles and hats because of health department regulations, to the Maker’s Mark Distillery, where we were actually allowed to dip our fingers in the fermenting vat and taste the sour mash, each place provided a truly unique experience.
Plus, all the tours are free, so why not visit more than one?
You won’t find most of these distilleries in large cities. Rather they are found off the beaten path, where the unhurried pace of small-town life is well-suited to the slow process of whiskey making.
We started our trip at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn., about an hour south of Nashville, Tenn.
In an ultimate twist of irony, this distillery, which produces one of the most popular brands of whiskey in the nation, is located in a dry county. Although the local laws denied us a taste of the product, we soon learned that the folks at Jack Daniel’s have no qualms about encouraging visitors to catch a buzz off the potent fumes released during the distillation process.
Our seasoned tour guide led us around the grounds, taking every opportunity to sidle up to guests and ask, "You a whiskey drinker?" He taught us about the best thing to mix with Jack Daniel’s — nothing — the best way to drink Jack Daniel’s — sitting down — and of course, the whiskey-making process.
Tennessee whiskey, like Kentucky bourbon, is made from a mixture of corn, rye, barley, yeast and water. The water in these two states is ideal because it comes from limestone springs, which produce the purified water needed to make whiskey.
The ingredients are combined in large fermenting vats and cooked for several days. When the mixture, which is referred to as sour mash, goes in, it resembles — and tastes a bit like —oatmeal. By the end of the process, the mash is thinner and contains about 6 percent alcohol. This liquid is known as distiller’s beer.
From there, the distiller’s beer goes into a beer still where the mixture is heated again. Since alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, distillers are able to capture the vapor that rises and separate it from the water and grains. At this point, the whiskey is a strong, clear liquid.
The main difference between Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon is the charcoal mellowing process, where the whiskey is slowly filtered through vats filled with sugar-maple charcoal. This is said to give Tennessee whiskey a smoother, sweeter taste.
After that, the whiskey is poured into hand-made white oak barrels, where it ages for several years. As the temperature changes, getting colder in the winter and hotter in the summer, the wood in the barrels expands and contracts, slowly stirring the whiskey. The barrels are charred on the inside, which caramelizes the wood and gives the whiskey its amber color and distinct flavor.
According to industry standards, these barrels can be used only once to make whiskey or bourbon here, but they are often sold overseas, where they can be reused to make Scotch or Irish whiskey.
Down the road from Jack Daniel’s, in Tullahoma, Tenn., is the George Dickel Distillery, where they make their own brand of Tennessee whisky. No, that’s not a typo, the folks at Dickel spell whiskey the Scottish way — without the "e" — because they believe their product rivals the taste of any fine Scotch.
Dickel began making his whisky in 1870 and discovered that when he made his whisky in the winter, it had a smoother taste than the whisky he made in the summer. This became the preferred time of year to make his product.
These days, because of modern production demands, George Dickel whisky must be made year-round, but the whisky is always chilled before going into the charcoal mellowing vats, to imitate cool winter temperatures.
North of Tennessee is Kentucky bourbon country. About 95 percent of the world’s bourbon comes from Kentucky. In order for a whiskey to be considered bourbon, it must come from the United States and be made from at least 51 percent corn.
Our first stop along the Kentucky bourbon trail was Lawrenceburg, Ky., where we passed up the Wild Turkey Distillery and instead visited the lesser-known Four Roses Distillery.
I learned that the reason Four Roses is lesser-known, and why I had never heard of it before, is because it is mainly distributed outside the United States. The company has only recently started selling their bourbon in select areas of the country.
Four Roses offered a less touristy, no-frills tour of its facility. But the distillery earned points with our group for being the first facility to actually give us a taste of their product. We were allowed to try three different labels and were even offered a taste of the clear, unaged bourbon, straight from the still, which I declined after getting a whiff of it.
Later that day, we went to the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Ky., which holds the distinction of being the only operating distillery in America to be designated a National Historic Landmark. The grounds were beautiful, and we enjoyed the more hands-on experience the facility offered.
At the Maker’s Mark Distillery, guests were able to purchase a small bottle of the bourbon to hand-dip themselves in the signature red wax. And, as I already mentioned, we were allowed to taste directly from the cypress wood fermenting vats.
Our guide explained that, like at other distilleries, we only get to see the cypress vats on the tour, but most bourbon is now made in newer stainless steel vats. The bourbon made in the wood vats is still bottled and sold, of course, but they are mostly just kept in working condition to preserve the history of the product.
The last stop on our trip was the Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Ky. Heaven Hill is the largest independent, family-owned producer and marketer of distilled liquor in the country. The company is run by master distiller Craig Beam — yes, he is a descendant of Jim Beam — and his father, Parker.
Heaven Hill makes several brands of bourbon, including Evan Williams and Elijah Craig, but not Jim Beam, which comes from Clermont, Ky., nearby.
There was no distillery tour at Heaven Hill, which we didn’t get too broken up about since we had already been on four. We did get to see the Bourbon Heritage Center, which is a relatively new facility featuring various exhibits, a gift shop and a barrel-shaped tasting room.
A taste of Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single-Barrel bourbon was the perfect end to our four-day expedition.
After all that, I still don’t know if I will become a whiskey-drinker, but at least now I can consider myself a true whiskey-appreciator.
