Tour Date: September 11, 2024 8:00am – 5:30pm
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer

We were very excited to be joining the Scotchy Bourbon Boys on their 4th Annual Bus Tour! We met up at the Mammy’s parking lot bright and early. After a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11, we kicked off the day with a pour of Johnnie Walker Blue and a toast for a great day!

Then it was time to load the bus and head to Bardstown Bourbon Co. for our first experience. On the way, Super Nash pulled out a dusty bottle of Hill & Hill for us to try on the ride over. It was amazing!

Bardstown Bourbon Company Barrel Thieving Tour

At BardstownBourbon Company we got checked in and some got cocktails while others checked out the gift shop. When it was time for our Rickhouse Barrel Thieving Tour, we met our guide – Samantha. She let us know that her nickname was “Heavy Hand Sam” and to be aware of that during the thieving pours!

We sampled from three barrels in the beautiful Rickhouse K. One was a bourbon that will ultimately become their Bottle-in-Bond bourbon. The second was a rye expression that is not currently being offered. The final one we had to guess and the “Rye Team” won that round! In fact, it was a 95% rye that would later be finished in their special zebra casks and bottled as their green label rye.

Fun on the Bus and Lunch

Back on the bus and more pours were happening! Super Nash had a mason jar of what had previously been in a dusty McCormick decanter – it was fantastic! Tiny showed the “unicorn” that we would have later, and then it was a pour from the 1980 Early Times!

There was a brief stop for shopping at The Blind Pig Bourbon Market where several great finds were acquired by many on the bus. Then we headed to the Old Kentucky Home Country Club for lunch. We had ordered our selections in advance and everyone enjoyed their choices!

Next it was time to travel to Limestone Branch and that meant more time for tastings! Up first was a dusty of Yellowstone, followed by the Yellowstone finished in a Tokaji barrel, and topped off by the fresh opening of beautiful dusty Jim Beam decanter. All terrific pours!

Limestone Branch Distillery Single Barrel Select Tour

Before we knew it, we had arrived at LimestoneBranch Distillery. We were incredibly blessed to have their National Brand Ambassador, Stephen Fante, as our guide for our experience. He provided a fun and informative tour that included history as well as all aspects of their distilling process.

We then went into their newest building addition – the single barrel select room. Once there, we enjoyed five incredible pours and hear more awesome stories. We laughed, shared, and had a great time!

Following our tasting, we still had time for a cocktail, cigar, and shopping in the giftshop before we needed to get on the road back to Bardstown.

Heaven Hill Distillery for an Executive Tasting of High End Pours

While on the road, we had a pour of Jeffrey’s World Whiskey Society 10 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Cask Unicorn edition. It was very good! While we passed, there was also a pour of Penelope Rio available!

Before we knew it, we had arrived at HeavenHill Distillery for our Whiskey Connoisseur tasting. This included 5 great pours: Elijah Craig Toasted, Select Stock Armagnac Finish, Pikesville Rye, Heaven Hill Heritage 18 Year, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

There was time for a bit of shopping before gathering back on the bus.

Surprise Birthday Party for Tiny!!

We arrived back at the parking lot near Mammy’s and everyone was pretending to say their goodbyes for the evening. Little did Jeffrey know that his wife, Rachel, had arranged a surprise party at Mr. Tubs for his birthday. Thus, the fun continued for several more hours. I do believe that he was genuinely surprised!

This was an absolutely an amazing day! We knew it would be fun but had no idea how mush we would truly enjoy being with everyone on the bus. The generosity of the bottles and pours shared was second-to-none. People we have known through social media and brief meetings at events have truly become amazing friends that we will always cherish. We hope that we will be able to join them on another trip in the future!

THREE Gift Shops

We picked up a few bottles today!

Distillery Trail Statistics

We originally visited Bardstown Bourbon Co April 23,2022. It was our 6th distillery and our 2nd stamp on the KBT Signature Trail. Our second visit was March 2023 and we did the Barrel Thieving Tour and it was our 56th distillery experience. Next we visited Bardstown Bourbon Co in June 2023 as part of the 2023 Mint Julip VIP Bardstown Collection Tour and it was our 78th distillery experience. We also did a Distilled Dinner there in 2023. Therefore, this was our 5th visit there and our 139th distillery experience.

Our first visit to Limestone Branch was May 20, 2023. It was an amazing day as we completed the Central Craft Trail there and it was our 40th stamp on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as well as our 48th distillery and 73rd distillery experience. Thus, this was our 2nd visit to Limestone Branch and our 140th distillery experience.

For Heaven Hill, our first visit was April 24, 2022 and we did the Bottle Your Own experience. It was our 9th distillery and our 5th stamp on the KBT Signature Trail. We returned to Heaven Hill in June 2023 as part of the 2023 Mint Julip VIP Bardstown Collection Tour and it was our 77th distillery experience. That makes this our 3rd visit to Heaven Hill and our 141st distillery experience.

It’s a good thing I have a spreadsheet!

Happy Trails!
Rebecca & Wayne