Cameron M. Ludwick - The State of Bourbon: Exploring the Spirit of Kentucky

MY OLD

Kentucky

ROAD TRIP

THE STATE OF BOURBON

EXPLORING THE SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY

CAMERON M. LUDWICK

&

BLAIR THOMAS HESS

Photography by ELLIOTT HESS

INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS

This book is a publication of

Indiana University Press

Office of Scholarly Publishing

Herman B Wells Library 350

1320 East 10th Street

Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA

iupress.indiana.edu

2018 by Cameron M. Ludwick and
Blair Thomas Hess

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-0-253-03781-7 (paperback)

ISNB 978-0-253-03466-3 (ebook)

1 2 3 4 5 23 22 21 20 19 18

All photos by Elliott Hess unless otherwise noted,
www.elliotthess.com.

To our fellow proud and thirsty Kentuckians.
May the barrels in our rackhouses always
outnumber us, may bourbon always
flow through the hearts of us, and may
we always have a fellow Kentuckian
to share a glass with us. Cheers.

Contents

Elliott Louise Hess, age one, high-fives longtime Wild Turkey Master Distiller and Kentucky bourbon legend Jimmy Russell at the brands distillery in Lawrenceburg.

Acknowledgments

We like to tell folks that we arent writers who travel, were travelers who happen to write. Such is the case that none of the My Old Kentucky Road Trip (MOKRT) books would be possible without a great deal of help along our journeys.

We are so thankful to all of our fellow Kentuckians we meet on our trips. Whether they are out exploring their great state like we are, working at one of Kentuckys amazing state parks where we stay on all of our overnight trips, or leading tours at the distilleries weve spent days and days traversing, we appreciate what each contributes to our travels.

We also owe a great debt to the Master Distillers across the state who help keep the history and tradition of bourbon alive while maintaining a visionary course to ensure its future. Consider giving your visitor center staffs a raiseweve seen them herd some major crowds on busy weekends at your distilleries without even batting an eye or losing their smiles. Its not only impressively professional, its so very Kentuckian.

Of course, we are grateful for our family and friends who supported our first MOKRT project and who gave us the courage and sanity to embark on yet another adventure.

Thanks to the incomparable Ashley Runyon at Indiana University Press, who not only gave us this opportunity but who provided advice and friendship along the way. We cant express how appreciative we are of that.

And since were already out of words, it is impossible to articulate our gratitude to Alice Speilburg at Speilburg Literary Agency. While we did the fun stuff, you helped us navigate the tough parts of this journey with an unyielding calm. And you even managed to keep us on schedule! We are forever thankful for your professional guidance and for your years of friendship.

Thanks to our amazingly talented photographer, Elliott Hess (www.elliotthess.com), for his hard work, dedication, hours of travel, and comic relief on these road trips. This book wouldnt be the same without your images.

And finally, to our newest and littlest roadtripper: you crawled the rock floors of Mammoth Cave before you could walk, you visited your first Civil War battle reenactment before you could talk, and weve been chasing you across Kentucky ever since. Youve made our lives better and our road trips more entertaining, Elliott Louise. Thanks for teaching us that bourbon barrel warehouses echo.

Blair and Cameron

THE STATE OF BOURBON

Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles.

Introduction

As any traveling Kentuckian can attest, there are a few predictable things that the state is universally known for. Youre from Kentucky? theyll always ask. So you must know a lot about All born-and-bredor adoptedBluegrass citizens know where this is going, right?

Horses. Fried chicken. Bourbon.

Never mind that Kentucky has more claims to fame than one can count (think the tommy gun, traffic lights, the Happy Birthday song, cheeseburgers, steamboats, the high five, couch burning, and the Clooneys), its all about the infamous trifecta.

Once, while on vacation across the pond in Newcastle, England, we found a pub that boasted a Kentucky Cola that was made with Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels. Someone neglected to do his or her research on that one. These proud Kentuckians were downright offended by that Tennessee whiskey being poured into our Kentucky bourbon cocktail, and you can be sure we were quick to correct them. Yall can hardly expect ladies to stand for such a travesty.

Bourbon is trendy these days, and around the globe, interest in bourbon is growing rapidly. But as Kentuckians, this is nothing new. Welcome to the state where bourbon barrels outnumber residentsand no, were not joking. While distilleries welcome more visitors than ever and the most exclusive, rare bourbons are getting harder and harder to track down, most Kentuckians have a whole cupboard full at home. And well drink it neat, thank you very much.

The rest of the world is just catching up, and they are thirsty for and fascinated by anything related to this unique corn whiskey, so as Kentuckians, we are the unofficial ambassadors of our famed libation. In that English pub a few years ago as we attempted to educate the bartender on the difference between Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon, it wasnt surprising that he concluded, Oh, so one is made in Tennessee and the other where youre from? We politely let the where youre from generalization pass without brandishing our state flag key chains and climbing up on a bar stool to sing My Old Kentucky Home.

Its the uninitiateds usual reply: Bourbon comes from Kentucky! While Kentucky Straight bourbon must come from the Bluegrass State, the law puts no such restriction on all bourbons. But heres the thingbourbon is Kentucky. Its craftsmanship and flavors cannot be separated from the culture and history of our land, nor will they ever be. Its a bold claim, sure, but despite the (modest) rise of non-Kentucky-based distilleries around the world, the most recognizable brands, the favorite batches, and the overwhelming market share belong to Kentucky bourbon.

The history and heritage of our native spirit lives on in the stills and rackhouses of the stops along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, its craft tours, and the Urban Bourbon Trail. But this is not a guide to these trails. Neither is it a tasting guide nor a cocktail book (though well be sure to throw in some of our favorites). Its a road trip through bourbons beginnings. Its an adventure that stretches from east to west just like the earliest settlers of Kentucky laid our foundation. Its a journey to try to explain why bourbon runs through our veins.