Distillery tours are a great way to learn about history, science, and how businesses involved with alcohol survived during hard times (prohibition).  They say that we can learn a lot from the past and by learning about the past, hopefully, we won’t make the same mistakes in the future.  There are over twenty distilleries in Kentucky and could be a lot of fun, especially if you like whiskey or bourbon.

I miss good old southern hospitality and happily found it at Buffalo Trace Distillery.  The tour guide started off by talking about the history of the distillery and the process of how bourbon is made, bottled, and shipped all over the world.  He talked about how they survived during prohibition by making alcohol medication and root beer.

The thing the girls noticed as we entered the warehouses where the bourbon is stored for five to twenty-five years is the pleasant smell of aging bourbon (it was a very intense smell).  We were amazed at the size of the barrels and how many levels were in one warehouse.  We learned about the angel share (that’s the amount of bourbon that evaporates over time) and how their workers take great pride in bottling the product.  They were so impressed with how well the girls behaved that they gave them horse corks that they were bottling which were part of the Blanton’s Single Barrel.

We give the Buffalo Trace Distillery only four stars because the smell might be a little strong for some folks and they named their distillery wrong (refer to the next paragraph).  On a good note, the tour is free and there are free bourbon samples at the end of the tour.  If you don’t like bourbon, no problem! They offer an amazing root beer that you can only get at the store.

Since this was a school day we thought we should educate just a bit more. There are no buffalo in North America and the buffalo that are referred to in North America are actually bison.  The only places buffalo live are in Africa and Asia.  When the Europeans came to North America they compared them to the only other animal they knew that looked like these amazing animals which were the buffalo.