The chances are that if I offered you a fill in the blank starting with Kentucky ____, the top three in some order would be derby, fried chicken, and bourbon. Well, I’ve never been to the Kentucky Derby (and didn’t visit Churchill Downs while in Louisville) and I’ve had good fried chicken all over the world. But bourbon is something that I’ve really only ever experienced here, on this trip. (One exception is the phenomenal HinterHaus in Calaveras County, California.) This isn’t exactly surprising, given that about 95% of all bourbon in the world is made right here in Kentucky.

While the state features a bourbon trail that will guide eager visitors to distilleries all across Kentucky, with a couple days in Louisville one can get a true sense of the breadth of Kentucky bourbon and how it is made. For novices like me, that is enough.

Before we begin with the experiential part of the Louisville bourbon scene, let’s answer a quick question. What is bourbon and what makes it different from any other whiskey? Well, to be called bourbon, it must have six features.

First, bourbon must be made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn. (Typically, bourbons are at least 60%, with rye and barley being added as well.) Second, while bourbon isn’t specific to Kentucky, to be called bourbon it does have to be produced in the United States. So it’s not quite as local a designation as champagne, but it does have a geographic component. Another corn producing country cannot make bourbon, just corn whiskey.

Third, fourth, and fifth are strength requirements at various points in the process. It must be distilled to no more than 160 proof (80% alcohol by volume), entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof (62.5% abv), and bottled at a minimum 80 proof (40% abv). Each distiller has its own levels it uses within this framework that it claims is best.

Finally, to be called bourbon, it must be aged in charred oak containers, and those must never have been used before. (I’m guessing this means barrels in close to all cases, but perhaps there are other containers as well.)

When visiting Louisville, there is no lack of distilleries to tour and to engage in tastings. I decided to pick two based on reviews and historical significance that are close to my downtown hotel: Michter’s and Kentucky Peerless. (Full disclosure: both were kind enough to host me for these experiences.)

Let’s start with what both of these distilleries have in common. First, both do a full line of local whiskeys, not just bourbon. (Rye, for instance, is 51% or more rye, and can reuse barrels. Others are more whiskey blends, or would be bourbons if not for the lack of a single quality from the list above and are thus just labeled as American whiskey.) Second, while each one uses a slightly different grain mix and distillation process, both are proud to use local tap water. (The tap water here is limestone filtered from the natural limestone shelf under this part of Kentucky, and consistently rates as some of the best in the country.) Finally, and most important to my own interest, both brands are relaunches of some of the country’s oldest and most celebrated historical bourbons.

Let’s begin with Michter’s, for no reason other than it was the distillery I visited first. While the name traces back to the 1950s (it is a combination of then-owner Lou Forman’s two sons’, Michael and Peter, names), the distillery itself was founded all the way back in 1753 in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. The whiskey produced here (bourbon as a name wasn’t adopted until the 19th century, and even then the distillery produced mainly a rye whiskey in its early days) even supplied Washington’s army at Valley Forge! After the distillery went bankrupt in 1989, it was purchased by Joseph Magliocco and Dick Newman, moved to Kentucky, and relaunched, keeping the more than 250-year history alive. Today, the brand has three locations in Kentucky, including its iconic Fort Nelson warehouse building in downtown Louisville. (The historic building is stunning, and part of the fun of a visit.)

Kentucky Peerless has a similar history. While it doesn’t date back to the American Revolution, Peerless has its founding in the nineteenth century by Elijah Worsham, and was purchased in 1889 by Henry Kraver. It rapidly became one of the largest brands in Kentucky, and when prohibition hit in 1917, Kraver was able to save his brand by getting it licensed for medicinal use. Peerless, however, still went through bankruptcy later in the 20th century. In 2014, the fourth and fifth generations of the Kraver family (Corky and Carson Taylor) decided to relaunch the brand, even acquiring its original plant number, DSP-KY-50. And while they moved the distillery from Henderson to Louisville, they pride themselves on keeping their family legacy alive. (And a sixth generation member is currently interning, so it seems in safe hands.)

Tours are fairly similar, though with obviously different content. Both trace the storied histories of the companies and the modern efforts to relaunch the brands, the characteristics of bourbon, the distillation process, barreling methods, and the specific things that each one believes makes their whiskeys the best. (Some are barreled at bottle strength, some are thinned out to bottling strength after, there are different exact recipes for the grain blends, etc…) And each one ends with a tasting experience.

At Michter’s, that is a full tasting of basically their entire line, although the distillery does limited batch releases regularly, hence early morning lines outside each day I passed by. We tried bourbon (obviously), rye, a stronger strength rye, and an American whiskey, among others. The tastes are pre-set and labeled, making for a consistency of experience from group to group.

Kentucky Peerless seems to allow their guides more flexibility in the tasting process, with tastings poured one at a time, and some choices being given. Again, we tried bourbon (at two different strengths), rye, and a couple of limited run whiskeys.

Both experiences are phenomenal, and I found favorite sips from each. Peerless seems to run their whiskeys a bit stronger than Michter’s, for whatever that is worth to you (positive or negative).

But the Kentucky bourbon experience in Louisville doesn’t end with distillery tours. If you enjoy whiskey, whether bourbon or other, the craft cocktail scene here is one that is among the best in the world.

Let’s start with Michter’s itself, where the top floor is a stunning bar space. (I believe reservations might be needed, and am grateful that one was included for me with my tour and tasting. That isn’t the case for everyone.) Here, I tried a whiskey fix, bourbon paired with lemon, raspberry, and pomegranate. It was refreshing, light, crisp, and a bit sweet, just the way I like my drinks.

Main Street in downtown Louisville is called Whiskey Row, and you probably can’t go wrong with a bar/restaurant to try. I picked Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen on the recommendation of some locals I met, both for the cocktails and the fried chicken. (Even the tenders were among the best I’ve ever had.) Here, the Devil’s Advocate has bourbon from Angel’s Envy (another local distillery), blackberries, simple syrup, and lemon-lime soda. Spectacular! And make sure to save room for the bourbon caramel cookie topped with ice cream.

I’ll be honest. Coming into this trip, if you’d asked me, my answer would have been that I didn’t like bourbon. Well, my mind has been changed. In going through these experiences, in opening my mind to what bourbon and other American whiskeys have to offer, I’ve found elements and notes that play really well on my palate. The caramel and brown sugar notes can be lovely, especially when paired with fruit flavors in a cocktail. And I guess this is what a visit is meant to do, to challenge my preconceptions and make me realize that bourbon (indeed just about any food or beverage) is not a one-size-fits-all product, and that almost anyone can find one that works for them.

Bourbon is an indelible part of Kentucky, one of the state’s largest industries and something more associated with it than just about anything else. Whether you are a bourbon connoisseur coming in, or a true novice like me, experiencing it while in Louisville will make for an incredible time!

Thank you again to both Michter’s and Kentucky Peerless for hosting me for two amazing experiences. I am positive I made the right choices in my distillery visits!

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