Brown-Forman Cooperage Tour and Coopers' Craft Tasting
Last Friday, I got THE BEST birthday present… from Brown-Forman!
I had the opportunity to visit Brown-Forman’s Cooperage, which I’ve wanted to see for so long! I was among a group of bourbon writers invited to tour the cooperage and sample the newest Brown-Forman bourbon expression, Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve. Brown-Forman is the only Kentucky bourbon company that crafts barrels in-house, and the Coopers’ Craft brand of bourbon pays homage to Brown-Forman’s coopers.
Barrel Head Pressing at Brown-Forman
The tour was amazing and so, so cool! We learned that the cooperage produces 300 barrels a day, at the rate of about 1 barrel per 45 seconds! Each barrel is made of approximately 29-33 oak staves, which are pieced together without any glue or nails — it’s simply the cooper’s skill with staves and hoops!
Barrel Assembly at Brown-Forman Cooperage
Every bourbon lover knows that a brief char on the inside surface of the barrel is responsible for so much of the color and flavor of the final distillate. What you might not know is that the smell of charred barrels is pretty heavenly!
Y’all, it was such a wonderful experience. We heard about some of the most loyal employees — a three-generation family of coopers (including a female cooper!) and a cooper who’s on the three-month countdown to his fifty year anniversary. It’s clear that safety, sustainability, and community are the utmost goals of the cooperage!
The cooperage is located next to the new Coopers’ Craft homestead experience. We were among the first to sample the second expression of the Coopers’ Craft line, Barrel Reserve.
While the original Coopers’ Craft bourbon is low proof (82.2), the barrel reserve is 100 proof. Barrel Reserve utilizes a unique, chiseled barrel which allows the bourbon to penetrate into the barrel more deeply . The result is a stronger, spicier expression than the original Coopers’ Craft.
Tasting notes for Coopers’ Craft Bourbon
You can find my Bourbon + Boweties bangle at Lawrenceburg’s Sweet Mash Goods.
After we tasted the original and barrel reserve expressions, we were treated to a boulevardier cocktail.
Best of all, we were joined in the tasting by Brown-Forman Master Distiller Chris Morris. It’s always a treat to talk with Mr. Morris. He’s so brilliant and funny and he knows literally everything about bourbon!
You can visit the Brown-Forman Cooperage and Coopers’ Craft Homestead exclusively through Mint Julep Experience tours.
10 Things That Every Bourbon-Loving Kentuckian Knows (But Might Not Admit)
The secrets of bourbon-loving Kentuckians.
This is National Bourbon Heritage Month. Or, as we call it here in Kentucky, September. In the spirit of bourbon celebration, I thought it would be fun to round up a list of some of the things that every bourbon-loving Kentuckian knows, but might not admit.
1. There's a reason there are so many cornfields in Central Kentucky. It has nothing to do with food for humans or livestock.
Cornfields near Maker's Mark Distillery, as seen through the passenger's side window. As you can tell, I was wearing seersucker that day.
2. We take a lot of "bourbon history" with a grain of salt. Most labels are relatively new, and a lot of claims of novelty and history come from marketing departments.
3. Most of us secretly mix a bourbon and coke from time to time. It's easy and it goes down smoothly.
Maker's Mark warehouse
4. We like to stick with basic cocktails. A Manhattan, a whiskey sour, or an old-fashioned are about as adventurous as we get.
5. Most of us have an economy-priced favorite, too. Real bourbon lovers know there's a time and place for Old Grand-Dad or Early Times. We aren't above drinking what's in front of us.
Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris and Master Taster Elizabeth O'Neill char a barrel.
6. Few things are as lovely as the aroma of a barrel that's being charred. It's like a gossamer mix of the cleanest vanilla and a delicately toasted homemade marshmallow wafting delicately through the air.
7. We know people who work at different spirits companies. We tend to change our orders when they're around.
8. We're just as sick of all these bourbon-flavored food products as y'all are. A few of them are good; a lot aren't.
9. We're all about trying new flavors, but we aren't afraid to stick with what we know. Sometimes you choose a label because it reminds you of the holidays, or because it's what you always take to a tailgate.
The Liquor Cabinet at Jim Beam. Every one of these has their purpose.
10.Pappy is delicious. Nobody is claiming otherwise. But when y'all come in from out of state and want to wow us with your purchase, we secretly know that there are a lot of other tasty, more moderately-priced labels on the menu.
What are your bourbon-loving secrets?
Day Trip To Jim Beam American Stillhouse
Jim Beam's American Stillhouse is a fantastic place to play Kentucky Hometown Tourist!
Yesterday, I attended a lunch and tour at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse. I figured it would be a fun working lunch where I had the opportunity to learn a little more about the production of Kentucky bourbon whiskey. I was pleasantly surprised to feel like I'd taken a mini-staycation quite close to home!
The Jim Beam Stillhouse is located in Clermont, just outside Shepherdsville. It's really hard to believe that such a gorgeous landscape is only two miles off I-65! It only took me about 25 minutes to get there from Louisville's East End!
The tour takes you through the entire process of bourbon production -- from grain to bottle. No matter how many distilleries I visit, I'm always fascinated by the idea that a handful of basic grains can be transformed into so many different flavor profiles!
The Beam tour is firmly rooted in the history of both the company and the founding Beam family. I even had the opportunity to chat with Fred Noe, Jim Beam's great-grandson, who had some hilarious and larger-than-life stories to tell!
Barrel head from the very first barrel of Jim Beam bourbon
Bourbon warehouses are always a fascinating visit. Here, we learned that the iconic Jim Beam white label -- the world's most popular bourbon -- is produced in such volume that the distillers don't rotate the barrels for climate control, opting instead to create each batch from a cross-section of barrels that have been stored in different areas of the warehouse.
The tour also includes a trip to the bottling line. Here, the single-barrel bourbon Knob Creek is being bottled. (Fun fact: before the bottles are filled, they are washed out with "leftover" bourbon!)
One of the tour's most fascinating sights is this liquor cabinet, where two bottles from each batch are held back for control purposes. After two years, these bottles will be given to Beam employees.
Of course, no tour is complete without a little taste! I sampled two of my favorite craft bourbons from the Beam line, Basil Hayden's (clean, soft, and complex) and Booker's (big, spicy, and robust).
This was perhaps my favorite view of the day: one of Mr Beam's original warehouses nestled between a Baptist church and a graveyard. It seemed so iconic of Kentucky ideology!
The tour was incredible, the food and bourbon were fantastic, and the Beam staff were so, so friendly. They really did live up to the distillery's motto: "Enter as friends, leave as family!" Thanks so much to Jim Beam Stillhouse for inviting me out to dinner; I hope to see y'all again soon!
If you're looking for a fun day trip to learn a little more about Kentucky bourbon while enjoying a gorgeous landscape, you should take some time to play Hometown Tourist at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse!
Shop Local Kentucky Interview and Giveaway!
Happy Friday, y'all! I hope you have big plans to enjoy the weekend and celebrate Kentucky Bourbon, whether it's served in cocktail, a dessert, or a savory treat!
Today, we have a Bourbon Heritage Month present for one lucky HerKentucky reader, courtesy of Shop Local Kentucky. We sat down with Rick from Shop Local Kentucky with a few questions about their initiative, and he kindly offered a gorgeous reclaimed bourbon barrel necklace embossed with the outline of Kentucky. What a great way to celebrate the Commonwealth! Here's what Rick had to say to us:
HK: Tell us a little about the mission of Shop Local Kentucky.
SLK: Shop Local Kentucky is an initiative to 'Keep the Grass Blue' by promoting local shopping and independent business owners across the Commonwealth. While Kentucky have had several successful localized 'Buy Local' programs, business alliances and campaigns, this will be the first statewide grassroots local shopping awareness initiative.
HK You’re starting off by selling SLK merchandise, but what’s coming next?
SLK:. Right, The Kentucky Shop is the funding mechanism behind Shop Local Kentucky. This effort has completely funded the intiative through year-end and gives us a way to plug local makers and artists in with our Kentucky following via the e-commerce store. Through the store we have paid out nearly $6,000 in sales to these local business owners since first opening one month ago. Further, we have raised over $1,100 for the Toy Chest Childrens Charity of Kentucky through a charity T-shirt sale.
However, that is not the full extent of Shop Local Kentucky. In the fall we have an app for Android and iPhone coming that will connect locally owned, independent businesses to the Kentucky customers who seek them out via geolocation services. In other words, you open an App on your phone, it locates you wherever you may be in the state, whether Bowling Green or Pikeville, then it shows you Shop Local Kentucky businesses within a given radius. There are a few more bells and whistles like exclusive coupon deals (think groupon for locals), a searchable directory and a reviews service. If you are a business interested in becoming a Shop Local Kentucky business - Click here to sign up for more information.
HK:Your Instagram is a must-follow! Where do you get those gorgeous shots of Kentucky?
SLK:. Our Instagram account, which is nearly 10,000 Kentuckians strong, is a place to highlight the Commonwealth's beauty through the lens' and phones of folks from across the state. 60% of the photos are user content driven with #ShopLocalKY and the other 40% are original content. It's a fun way to look at the state from each individuals' different point of view. Once we get the app going, we plan to highlight Shop Local Kentucky businesses on the platform. You can follow us at @ShopLocalKy.
Someone once said to me “People from Kentucky are obsessed with being from Kentucky.”What’s your favorite thing about the Bluegrass State?
SLK: The cliche answer... Fall in Kentucky. However, I think the overarching pride we as Kentuckians take in our state is unparalleled and trumps the changing leaves any day. There are so many great initiatives, blogs and people out there right now all with one goal - Make Kentucky look awesome in some fashion. You really don't see that sense of ownership elsewhere.