A festival for bourbon lovers

For bourbon enthusiasts, September in Kentucky means one thing — the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

Most of the world’s bourbon is made in and around Bardstown, just 35 miles south of Louisville, earning the small town the moniker “Bourbon Capital of the World.”

The 23rd annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Sept. 16-21, is a six-day celebration of Kentucky’s 200-year-old bourbon-making heritage. About 50,000 imbibers make their way to Bardstown every year to join the festivities; that’s about four times the town’s population.

Bourbon lovers can choose from more than 20 entertaining events that range from down-home fun like the World Championship Bourbon Barrel Relay (contestants push 500-pound bourbon barrels) to an elegant black-tie gala. Regardless of the event, achieving a state of bourbon-induced bliss is guaranteed.

For the uninitiated, all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon is American-made whiskey that must be 51 percent corn and aged in new white oak barrels for a minimum of two years. Other whiskeys can age in reused barrels and artificial colors or flavors may be added.

One reason so many distilleries are in Bardstown is because of a crucial ingredient — Kentucky’s special limestone-filtered water.

At the Kentucky Bourbon All-Star Sampler, an event that brings all the area’s master distillers together, Greg Davis of Maker’s Mark autographs festival tickets, T-shirts and bourbon bottles sealed with the distillery’s signature red wax. At 44, Davis is the youngest master distiller in the bourbon industry and a bit of rock star, but don’t call him that.

He’s a humble guy, and the label makes him squirm.

One label he’s stuck with, whether he likes it or not, is “Baby,” as in the baby of the industry. The nickname was bestowed on him by the patriarchs of bourbon at other distilleries, who like to remind the young upstart they were connoisseurs before he was of legal drinking age.

Although they are technically competitors, there’s a camaraderie among the master distillers. Fred Noe of Jim Beam, Jim Rutledge of Four Roses, Chris Morris of Woodford Reserve and Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey (at 79, the granddaddy of the bunch) are all dedicated craftsmen with an uncompromising approach to bourbon making, and they respect each other’s skills.

The festival is a chance to catch up and engage in a little banter about who makes the best bourbon.

Even though he’s a master distiller, Davis said he’s constantly honing his skills.

“I’m always learning, and I am constantly looking for mentors in the field and out of the field, both younger and older,” he said.

When festivalgoers ask Davis how he takes his bourbon, he says he usually takes it neat, but he doesn’t mind a couple of ice cubes on a hot summer day. He isn’t into trendy cocktails because he doesn’t like anything interfering with the whiskey’s distinct flavor profile.

The bourbon business is booming, and these days Davis is focused on a $67 million distillery expansion that will allow Maker’s Mark to keep up with growing global demand for a spirit that was once consumed almost exclusively by Southern gentlemen.

The addition of a third still, an exact replica of the existing copper stills, and the construction of more warehouses will increase production by 50 percent.

Davis assures brand enthusiasts that the flavor of the whiskey won’t change at all. The distillery isn’t taking any shortcuts.

“We aren’t trying to make improvements or make bourbon faster,” Davis said. “We are making more of exactly the same thing so we can increase production.”

Touring the Kentucky bourbon distilleries is a festival highlight for those interested in the art of bourbon making. You can follow the Bardstown Trail to Maker’s Mark, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam and Barton 1792 — four very different distilleries.

At Maker’s Mark, bourbon enthusiasts have the pleasure of dipping their own bottle in the brand’s iconic red wax.

At Heaven Hill, they sip Evan Williams Single Barrel and 12-year-old Elijah Craig in an elegant, barrel-shaped tasting room.

Noteworthy at Jim Beam is the collection of limited-edition vintage bottles and decanters shaped like various animals and historic figures.

Barton 1792 invites visitors to have a look at one of its seven-story rick houses (warehouses) where bourbon is aged in those famous charred oak barrels — a kind of bourbon incubator.

Tour guide and visitor center manager Joshua Hollifield explained that Kentucky’s climate of hot summers and cold winters is perfect for aging bourbon because the barrels expand and contract with each season. As the liquid flows in and out of the charred wood, it is imbued with a golden honey color and accumulates delicious notes of toasted caramel and vanilla.

“Bourbon picks up 100 percent of its color and up to 50 percent of its flavor from the barrel,” Hollifield said. “We often find that visitors are surprised the distillate or ‘white dog’ is colorless when it comes off the still.”

Another surprise is that those barrels get lighter as the bourbon ages because a portion evaporates. Those in the industry call the lost bourbon the “angels’ share.”

Festivalgoers head home with a better understanding of Kentucky’s bourbon-making heritage, a collection of souvenir bourbon glasses and fond memories.

Well, hopefully, they remember some of it. Cheers!

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