I realized at 5:00 on Saturday night that I had absolutely nothing planned yesterday so I decided to run home, pack a quick bag and go on a road trip. I had signed up for the Makers Mark ambassador program seven years ago and my barrel was ready so hey, what better way to spend a Sunday close to Easter than hopping down the Bourbon Trail right? I got home, packed a bag and we were on the road by 6, fastest packing job EVER! We stopped in Louisville for a late dinner and then headed to Loretto. I've got another trip planned to the DC area in two weeks so I figured a shorter trip was essential to make sure the car was going to do ok...or something like that. Who am I kidding, I just needed to have some FUN! We found a great hotel and woke up early to take in the countryside....first stop, Makers Mark! If you're not in their Ambassador program and enjoy Makers (or ever plan to visit the Bourbon Trail) head over to their website and register..it's a really cool program! They put your name on an aging barrel and update you on it's progress through the years while sending gifts for holidays. When it's ready you have a month or so to go to the distillery and you can purchase two bottles with custom printed labels from the barrel that has been aging for you. It's super cool! We did the first tour and tasting of the day on their gorgeous property and then decided that a Mini would have been an AWFUL car for running shine...I did see how many bottles of Makers I could fit inside though :cornut: (Pardon the filthy ride, i've only had her a week and it's rained or snowed at least 50% of the days. Ugh) Next stop was Limestone Branch Distillery. I'm just saying, I don't know many girls who can just drive by a giant climax :wink: This was the smallest place we visited and also my favorite as far as information and staff...our guide was amazing and we could've just hung out there all day. My favorite was a 50/50 blend of classic moonshine and jalapeno moonshine...he called it the crud buster and it certainly cleared my sinuses! We left there and it was FINALLY warm enough to put the top down, best day EVER! Last stop was the Bulleit Distillery for another tour and tasting, I am SO excited for the bed & breakfast they're building on property and will most definitely make another trip once it's completed. This was the Rye Mash at bulleit, it definitely was NOT as tasty as the corn mash that was almost complete at the other distilleries! ha. I'm definitely planning on doing a full trip for both the large distilleries and the craft tour, possibly in the fall this year. If you're ever passing through KY stop by and sample a little, the facilities are fascinating and hey, you just can't complain about an overload of fantastic bourbon! I have to say after our first road trip i'm impressed. I was expecting some little things to pop up after purchasing a 10 year old car but she's a gem. A few little cosmetic things and she'll be needing tie rods, but that's nothing that I can't handle in an afternoon, no biggie! She rides great, looks sassy and man, i'm having FUN! Now to get her cleaned up, she's got an appointment at the salon this week for a little upgrade and deep cleaning!
New MOTD event. How many bottles, full, of Bourbon can you fit in your MINI. We just need to agree on a Bourbon and bottle size now.
Wife and I got clothes for a week each, a cooler, and five cases of wine in her C6 Corvette. Ran out of room and funds for more wine at about the same time.
That would be an amazing trip! Finish the bourbon and craft tours and we'd have a masters in Bourbon- a worthy goal in my book! We were cracking up, we were followed by another Mini for about 45 miles on the way there and then we followed two more for about 60 miles on the way home, nothing like a chance caravan
Good trip. We did a MINI trip around that area last year and really enjoyed it. Didn't try to max out the trunk with bourbon, but did stock up! Nice driving roads through the horse ranches makes this a great spot too.