Kentucky Bourbon

Sunday morning, we took off from the hotel we were staying at just north of Knoxville, TN, headed for Kentucky Bourbon country. The night before, I drove through South and North Carolina, convinced that we had discovered the country's worst highway drivers. Indiana, it would turn out a day later, showed us that we had no idea what bad highway drivers really were. 

Our one and only stop on the Kentucky Bourbon trail was the Woodford Reserve Distillery, which was awesome. We heard many superlative facts and tidbits, (Woodford is the only bourbon triple distilled. Only bourbon distilled in copper pots. Only official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby. The initial mash uses 72% corn, 18% rye, 10 % malted barley), but the best was just seeing how bourbon is made. I was pleased to learn it is essentially the same as making beer, with distillation and some time to age (well, 6-9 years) in oak barrels. Moonshine, anyone? Also, the distillery turned out to be highly photogenic:

Here is a 7500 gallon fermentation vat, where the yeast are working hard enough to produce a constant bubble and surprising amount of heat.

Ok, not everything in the distillery was photogenic

Chadé found a barrel with a tattoo almost identical to her own.

But most of it was

After the tour, a fifth of Woodford Reserve in hand, we drove north to Newport, Kentucky to visit my friend Justin and family. We started our visit with mint jelups and a nice afternoon chat. 18 hours, many beers, and 3/4 of a fifth of whiskey later, our visit ended with a vicious, well-earned hang over.

After enjoying our mint juleps, we walked three blocks to the Hofbrauhaus-Newport, one of the two Haufbrauhaus beer gardens in the US. There we enjoyed accordion music, chicken dances, German drinking songs, and steins of beer the size of your head. The beer comes in liter-sized steins, which seem daunting when you first are given one, but you quickly discover are as easy to drink as any other. 2 liters seems like a lot to drink in a short sitting, but hey, it's only 2 glasses. 

Justin and nephew Ashton

Following the Hofbrauhaus, we went to the Montgomery Inn, which overlooked the Ohio River. It was only a short walk away, but Chadé's knee was acting up, so we decided to take a cab. This short distance clearly baffle our cab driver, as he tried to drive us to a town called Montgomery that was 30 miles away. Ribs, pork chops, and wings accompanied a couple more beers, and whiskey ginger ales for Chadé. Our last stop was another bar back across the river, where I will admit to hardly drinking the beer that I ordered, for which the waitress, Chadé, and Justin all joined in ridicule. Minus a point, I guess.

A sample memory from our night out

This would have been a perfect time for our night to end. The wonderful and cruel thing about alcohol though, is that the more you drink, the more you want to drink. After going back to Justin's house (well, his parent's house. He lives with his parents. Sorry, Justin...), Chadé went to the bedroom to change into pajamas and fell asleep soon after. I almost followed suit, but got way to excited when I realized Justin had a full glas of whiskey, and that one was waiting for me also if I only wanted it. One more glass of whiskey turned into several more, and Justin and I enjoyed a late-night drunken heart-to-heart. 

The following morning we awoke early to head to Michigan, surprised to find most of the whiskey vanished. 

The Competition:

1 point to Justin for admirable fortitude and sunny disposition in facing a "purgatory year" in Newport, KY, following unjust deportation from Canada. Another point for playing hosting duties and ensuring that our visit to Kentucky was the most debaucherous and rowdy of the trip. 1 point each also to the rest of the Lawrences, Jum, Susan, Jilly, and Ashton, for being gracious hosts.

1 point to this guy, who was clearly having the most fun at the Hofbrau Haus: 

Chadé earns a point from Justin for proper use of the word "clutch." I lose a point for beer wastefulness. I know many more points were awarded and deducted through-out our stay in Kentucky, but memory and booze interacting the way the do, I have no idea what they are. So, 1 point to the each of us for doing Kentucky right. 

Current Score: Chadé 7, Adam 6

Next Post: Hangovers in Indiana, and family and friends in Michigan