There is nothing quite like laying in a hammock on a cool Chicago night while sipping some Bourbon. The selection of choice tonight is Woodford Reserve by Labrot & Graham.
I was at a buddies wedding in NC and on my way home I decided to make a short stop for tour of this little distillery. It has been around from some time since the early 18oo's and still continues to make quality Bourbon in small batches. The site is located in the middle of some scenic pastures filled with thoroughbred horses and next to Glen Creek. The tour was $5, but well worth it for the history lesson and interesting insight into the world of Bourbon (along with a sample).
You can check the link to get better information on the distillery directly, but I'll give you a quick run down. The tour starts off with a short video on some history followed by a overlook of the facility. They take you into the cooking and fermenting room where I was able to see fermentation taking place in one of the four giant open cedar fermenters. Then it is down the stairs to the distilling room. This room houses three copper stills which are unique to this distillery. It uses the copper stills to give the Bourbon a smooth flavor while triple distilling insures it's quality. There is a brief segment on oak barrels and how they are filled immediately followed by a walk through they aging building. It housed over 5000 barrels of aging Bourbon! The limestone structure smelled amazon to say the least. To round out the tour you visit the bottling building and then back to the visitors center to sample the finished product.
I am not much of a Bourbon drinker, but from what I have tried, I would say it is smoother than Jim Beam. The grain bill they used was 72% Corn, 18% Rye (lending a spicey note), and 10% Malted Barley. One sniff will bring with it a nice warming aroma of rich vanilla, carmel, and charred wood. The flavor is well balanced and the mouthfeel is light. It goes down smooth and leaves a pleasent and enjoyable aftertaste of oak and alcohol. It is not overpowering and harsh in any way. I would recommend picking up a 750ml and sharing some with a good group of friends. Enjoy!
