Michigan to Bourbon Country

We actually left the house on time this morning at 7:30.  Of course that meant that we had a major slow down on US 23 until we passed Ann Arbor.  There were no issues of weather or ice, just bad driving!  As we traveled into Ohio, the fog thickened and made driving tricky.  We couldn't really see the road signs until we were right on top of them.

So, we stopped for breakfast!

When we returned to the road, I took the wheel for awhile.  As we approached Cincinnati, the fog finally lifted and we had a lovely drive across the river and into Kentucky.  I noticed that their roads have suffered this winter, too.  I even saw a few patches of snow in shady valleys.  But, the temperature soared to 60 - love it!

We took a new route - I-71 to I-65 - so we could visit the Jim Beam distillery.  It is huge and located in the small town of Clermont.  They have quite the marketing operation and they give a terrific tour.  We took the last tour of the day (3:30) with four other people.  This gave us individual attention and allowed me to ask questions about differences in flavor and how this was accomplished.

At one point in the tour we arrived at the bottling station for the small batch bourbons.  They allow tourists to wash a bottle and put their initials on the bottle, follow it through to labeling and capping and waxing.  Then we were allowed to press our thumbs into the wax seal and purchase our very own unique bottle.  Ours is a bottle of Knob Creek 8 year aged bourbon.  This was fun, and we will share!

MaryAlice thumbprint on her bottle

When we got to the tasting room, we were each allowed two samples.  So Dennis and I each chose different bourbons: Booker (undiluted small batch, awesome), Black Label (double aged, smooth), Signature Crafted 12 year (smooth with an oaky, smokey finish), and White Label Single Barrel (smooth, but not much kick).  Because the Knob Creek was what I wanted, we did not choose a second bottle - we don't drink it that fast.  But, I highly recommend the Booker.  It is pricey but worth it.

We drank our samples on empty stomachs so I am glad that our choice for a stopping place, Elizabethtown, was only 20 miles from the distillery.  Tomorrow we travel on to Montgomery AL.  It is the first time either of us has visited Alabama.  We're looking forward to the drive and seeing new sights.