Make one of your New Year’s resolutions to “Come Find Bourbon” in Frankfort. You’ll be surprised at the number of places where the commonwealth’s favorite drink and America’s only native spirit is celebrated.
For starters, of course, there are the bourbon distilleries. Any bourbon lover knows about Buffalo Trace, the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United States, and the first to market single barrel bourbon commercially.
You’ll have to do some advance planning to get on one of the distillery tours as reservations are required and take awhile to book. You can, however, drop in any time for a tasting of their brands which include Eagle Rare, George T. Stagg, Blanton’s and their namesake Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and a sashay around the well-stocked gift shop.
Buffalo Trace may be the most famous distillery in the capital city, but it’s not the only one.
Travel along McCracken Pike running parallel to Glenn’s Creek, and you may be surprised to see a turreted Victorian-style castle, signaling you have arrived at Castle & Key Distillery.
It’s Frankfort’s version of the phoenix rising from the ashes – only in this case, it’s the distillery rising from the ruins (the ruins being those of Old Taylor Distillery begun by E.H. Taylor in 1887.
The Castle & Key reincarnation opened to the public in 2018, although that public didn’t get a taste of their Small Batch Kentucky Bourbon until 2022 (as it takes four years for bourbon to age.)
What they did get a taste of was the distillery’s first product, a gin, and the magnificent restoration – not only the castle, but a peristyle, Roman-style bathhouse, botanical trail and formal sunken gardens identical to those first planted by Taylor 132 years earlier.
Frankfort isn’t just about the classics. It’s also about the mavericks as seen in three small unique distilleries.
Whiskey Thief, although it has been in existence for only a decade, is the oldest craft distillery on the Bourbon Trail. Described as a “destination for bourbon wanderlusters,” it celebrates single barrel bourbon and small batch distillation.
The distillery also offers an experience visitors can get nowhere else in Kentucky – the opportunity to “thieve” their own bourbon by using a specially made ladle to sample bourbon from each of the five barrels.
If you look up the definition of “maverick” in the dictionary, there might be a picture of Dave Meier, head distiller at Glenn’s Creek Distillery on McCracken Pike.
He admits to not having been much of a drinker until he hit middle age; hands out business cards that read “Old Cranky Dave,” and learned how to distill by watching You Tube videos in his garage.
Still, he’s operating on hallowed ground, having bought what was once the Old Crow Distillery, named for Dr. James Crow, a Scotsman who, while working for Oscar Pepper, allegedly perfected the sour mash process.
Visitors are welcome to drop in for a tour at Glenn’s Creek, but a reservation is required for a sit-down with Meier for a tasting and his own brand of storytelling.
Industrial chic meets farmhouse rustic at J. Mattingly, the fifth distillery to open in Frankfort. It may be the newest, but it brings back a label that dates to 1845 when J.G. Mattingly opened the second registered distillery in Kentucky in Marion County, although some bourbon historians argue that it was Mattingly and not Evan Williams who got to the finish line first.
Regardless of who got there first, it’s J. Mattingly that holds the distinction of being one of the few distilleries in Kentucky that allows visitors to blend their own bourbon.
Unique Ways to Taste Bourbon:
In Frankfort, there are other ways to sample our favorite beverage besides a distillery tasting. One of the most fun is hitching a ride on the Bourbon Blazer.
This 13-person cross between a bicycle and a trolley car does require some pedal power to get up and over Frankfort’s scenic hills, but a bike tour is a great way to do some (almost) guilt-free tasting.
On the tour, visitors stop at two or three of the 12 participating bars and restaurants to enjoy a specialty bourbon drink or bite (as in the famed bourbon ball candy at Rebecca Ruth’s).
Forget your car keys as someone else will be doing the majority of the driving, but don’t forget your photo ID to prove you’re old enough to “come find bourbon.”
If you prefer to take to the river instead of the hills to do your bourbon tasting, don’t miss the boat for a cruise on the Bourbon Belle, the only boat-based bourbon tour in the country.
This one combines a little history with a lot of bourbon. Discover why the Kentucky River was so important to the establishment of Frankfort’s bourbon industry and see some remains from the earliest days of the industry’s existence (not to mention some pretty spectacular wildlife.)
Visitors can sign up for tours ranging from an hour-and-a-half introductory cruise to half-day trips that also include a stop at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
You don’t have to wait until you get to the distillery to sample the bourbon, however. Some cruises offer an onboard tasting as you travel through Frankfort’s bourbon history.
No Card Needed to Check out This Library:
Question: When does a bourbon bar go beyond being just a bar and instead assume the mantle of bourbon library?
Answer: When patrons can select any of the more than 250 bourbons and ryes and receive a classic bourbon education as well as a classic cocktail.
“We offer our guests both contemporary pours and pours of historical relevance,” says Dave Sandlin, proprietor of The House of Commons Bourbon Library, a tony establishment on the corner of West Main and St. Clair Streets.
At The House of Commons, the goal is two-fold quantity AND quality. As for quantity, Sandlin hopes to eventually have at least one bourbon from every Kentucky distillery, while quality will be maintained in keeping the carefully curated cocktail menu small.
“We will have no more than 10 cocktails at any given time, although they will rotate,” he says. “That way we can be the best at what we do offer.”
With so many opportunities, visitors to Frankfort will have no trouble finding bourbon wherever they look.