Nicknamed the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown, Kentucky, is a small southern town that should not be ignored. Home to over seven popular bourbon distilleries, My Old Kentucky Home State Park, an outdoor theatrical edition of the Stephen Foster Story, and the well-known My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, Bardstown, KY is one of the maximum stunning small cities in America.
I first heard about Nelson County’s metropolis when researching food-primarily based train rides and stumbled upon the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. Intrigued, I knew I had to visit for myself in the future. While the Bardstown Tourism Board asked if I wanted to enjoy their city with my boyfriend Wes (who additionally occurs to be certainly one of Wide Open Eat’s proficient videographers), our luggage had been already packed.
Before our journey, it turned pretty clear Wes knew a lot extra about bourbon than me. On our first camping experience almost 12 months in the past, he poured us some Bulleit Bourbon to enjoy via the crackling fire. Romantic, proper? Uncultured, I took the entire component like a shot, making my first actual stumble upon with bourbon (other than what you get in a properly drink) a quite unpleasant one.
My trip goal turned to amplify my bourbon knowledge and discover ways to taste the liquor effectively sincerely. And boy, did Bardstown supply.
How To Get to Bardstown, KY
Located approximately an hour outdoor of Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, Bardstown is easily reached. The Bluegrass Parkway runs from Elizabethtown to Woodford County and connects with Interstate sixty-five and U.S. Route 60. If flying, the perfect manner to get to Bardstown would be to fly into Louisville and lease a vehicle.
Where To Stay in Bardstown, KY
The historic downtown district is home to many lovely hotels that boast a ton of allure and person. If you’re searching out something totally authentic, ebook a room on the Old Talbott Tavern, constructed all the way lower back in 1779. George Rogers Clark used it as a base throughout the Revolutionary War, Daniel Boone as soon as renting a room, or even the exiled Louis-Philippe of France stayed in the hotel. Future presidents Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, and Abraham Lincoln visited the lodge. And there are nonetheless bullet holes inside the inn’s mural courtesy of Jesse James, who became under the influence of alcohol on bourbon.
They say that Jesse James nevertheless frequents the lodge as a ghost. At one time, the Talbott became considered the 13th most haunted inn in the United States. mGuests have a preference between six mattress and breakfast rooms, all of which can be named after a person famous, and 15 extra present day rooms housed within the Talbott Inn next door. Every morning visitors can go to the restaurant for a full breakfast, blanketed in the stay within the stay. In the nighttime, settle in for a nightcap and a show of stay track at the Inn’s bourbon bar. They even provide bourbon flights, which is an excellent alternative if you need to flavor a ramification of a number of the nearby spirits.
We stayed in one of the extra current rooms and loved all the facilities the inn supplied in addition to how attentive the personnel became.
What to See in Bardstown
If you go to Bardstown, bourbon tasting is a should. Home of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail’s starting point, you may by no means go thirsty in this small town. Distilleries inclusive of Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Willett Distillery, Four Roses, and Preservation Distillery are observed inside the place in addition to Maker’s Mark, Barton 1792, and newcomer, Bardstown Bourbon Company. We have been given a chance to check out three of those distilleries, and even as all of them distilled the same sort of alcohol, it is wherein their similarities forestall. The historic distilleries offer an investigation of Kentucky’s beyond, which is a reason in itself to visit.
Barton 1792 Distillery
Established in 1879, Barton 1792 is referred to as the oldest absolutely-working distillery in Bardstown. Named in honor of the 12 months Kentucky joined the USA, Barton’s back-in-time attraction may be felt during the complete distillery. Free tours are given at the hour and on the half-hour on Saturdays, and at the excursion, guests can count on a inspect one of the authentic barrel growing older houses and get a taste of Barton’s famous bourbon.
Our tour manual changed into very knowledgeable (she turned into once a trainer at one of the neighborhood schools) and replied to all of our tour questions. Tasting-wise, my absolute favorite spirit becomes the chocolate bourbon ball cream liqueur, that is only available of their present store. Grab a bottle (or ) if chocolate liquids are your issue. I sincerely enjoyed it as it was candy and jogged my memory of chocolate milk.
