Kentucky - Frankfort & Lexington - Horses & Bourbon!

[giradman]

I started this thread nearly 2 months ago based on a visit to our son in Indianapolis w/ intermittent stops in Kentucky going & returning - really an enjoyable trip - I'm now mainly a wine drinker w/ some occasional beers - use to sip on cognacs, single malt Scotch, and bourbons, but this trip and the visits to the Kentucky distilleries renewed my interest in sipping on some of the products of that state.

My single bottle of bourbon brought back in October has disappeared - OOPS, my fault! SO, today I had some errands to do and per chance passed a local North Carolina ABC store (that's how strong alcoholic beverages are sold in this state) - thus, stop in and picked up a few bottles of Kentucky bourbon - now since this will last a while, I decided to splurge a little (I like to sip on these neat so taste is everything) and bought the two shown below - those who have read this thread will note a REPEAT, i.e. the Woodford Double Oak, the other is a new try but about the same price, i.e. the Jefferson's Reserve Very Old Small Batch - now for those interested, reviews of the Woodford HERE and of the Jefferson HERE - had some small 'neat' sips tonight and both are excellent - my recommendation is to pay a little extra, especially if you like to drink bourbon w/o mixing other ingredients - Dave
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[scifan57]

It's amazing how good bourbon can evaporate from a sealed bottle, isn't it?

 

[giradman]

It's amazing how good bourbon can evaporate from a sealed bottle, isn't it?

LOL! Well, I can't blame the disappearance in the glass bottle to the 'angel's share' when the bourbon is in an oak barrel - amazing how much is lost over the years sitting in oak, e.g. less than 30% left in the 23 y/o Pappy Van Winkle (quote below - Source) - storing these whiskeys for years (and decades) and then tasting and choosing specific barrel selections for release understandably impacts on the pricing of these more expensive offerings!

BTW, in my visit to our local NC ABC store, there were NO Pappy's for sale - - I would have paid the extra price! Dave

How Much Pappy Van Winkle is Left After 23 Years in a Barrel?
The most sought-after bourbon in the world, Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old, begins life as 53 gallons of new-make whiskey at 114 proof.
What's left in the barrel after 23 years is a mere 14 gallons of bourbon at around 135-140 proof. What makes it into the bottle is even less.

 

[giradman]

Well, this thread will not end! Today on NPR, there was a short story on a young 28 y/o lady who is Kentucky's only female master distiller - she works for Brown-Forman whose bourbon brands include Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, and Early Times - she has been enticed to soon become the Master Distiller at a 'new' distillery being opened near Frankfort - if interested, click the source below; and she's cute! Dave

In January 2015, Brown-Forman’s Marianne Barnes was named to Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” in food and drink. At 28 years old she was recognized as one of the highest ranking women in the bourbon industry and was on track to one day replace Chris Morris as the Woodford Reserve master distiller.

Well, the industry took notice and two Kentucky entrepreneurs, Will Arvin and Wesley Murry apparently made her an offer she could not refuse. Barnes has accepted the position of Master Distiller at the former “Old Taylor Distillery Company” near Frankfort, Kentucky (Source).

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[giradman]

SAD EVENT TODAY - Frank Sinatra Jr. Died of a heart attack Mar 17 @ 72 y/o!

Back on page 4 of this thread, we were in Indianapolis in October 2015 visiting our son - we saw Frank Jr. in an excellent show at the Carmel Palladium Theater - great venue and performance - he looked in great shape at the time - we enjoyed and will remember. Dave

 

[giradman]

NEW BOOK on Daniel Boone (2021) - just finished and read on my iPad Pro - for those of you who have read this thread which starts back a half dozen years ago - WOW! In the early posts on the state capital of Frankfurt and the Cemetery where Boone is buried w/ his wife, Rebecca, this book may be of interest.

Daniel Boone was born in Pennsylvania in 1734 (just two years after George Washington) and migrated down the old 'Wagon Road' via the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to North Carolina when he was a teenager - for many years he resided in the Yadkin River Valley area of the state (really close to where I now live) - his major 'claim to fame' is re-discovering the Cumberland Gap (near the junction of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee - have posts on that visit) and leading frontier pioneers into Kentucky, especially the central 'bluegrass' region in the middle of the 18th century.

The difficulties and interactions with the native Americans is well and often brutally described - Boone lost two sons to fights with the 'Indians' - this is a well done book - on his death in 1820 (85 years of age) he was buried with his predeceased wife, Rebecca, in Missouri where he had moved, but their remains were reinterred in the 'new' Frankfurt Cemetery on its opening - BOY, a remarkable story and highly recommended if you want to know what it was like to move west across the mountains at that time! Dave

 

[scifan57]

Something that many people probably don’t know is that Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett never met or even corresponded.

 

[giradman]

Something that many people probably don’t know is that Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett never met or even corresponded.

Well, as quoted below, Boone would have been 52 y/o when Crockett was born but was likely in East Tennessee when Davy was growing up - but agree that I've never heard that they might have met nor did the book that I just finished even bring up his name. Dave

David Crockett (1786 –1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the Texas Revolution. Crockett grew up in East Tennessee, where he gained a reputation for hunting and storytelling. He was made a colonel in the militia of Lawrence County, Tennessee and was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821. (Source)