Celebrating National Bourbon Heritage Month

Here in the Bluegrass, we’re best known for horses and bourbon. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail represents over 70 distilleries that are open to the public, welcoming guests through the doors of their distilleries to get an exclusive look at how bourbon is crafted, distilled and bottled. 95% of the global Bourbon supply is produced right here in the Bluegrass, and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is dedicated to providing guests with unique opportunities to explore the birthplace of America’s native spirit.

It all starts with Limestone

Kentucky’s natural resources have made this region a prime spot for producing the best of the best, whether you’re raising top racehorses or crafting an elite Bourbon. Kentucky sits on a limestone shelf that filters water, and provides nutrients like calcium and phosphorous into the soil. These nutrients help horses build strong bones as they grow to be racehorses. Increased nutrients in the grass and soil, paired with the rolling hills Kentucky is well known for, make this the perfect place to raise young horses. The natural filtration of water through limestone removes impurities that can impact the flavors in Bourbon. Bourbon can contain as much as 60% water, making it incredibly vital to have the best water possible throughout the entire process – from fermentation to distilling, aging to bottling, all the way to enjoyment.

Horses and Bourbon

Raising a great horse and crafting an excellent glass of Bourbon both require precision and thoughtfulness from day one. It’s not an overnight process, either. Bourbon often ages for years, in charred oak barrels that helps to bring out the flavor of bourbon over time. Good racehorses take time, as well. Many Thoroughbreds will spend a large portion of the first year and a half of their life outdoors in large paddocks, grazing on Kentucky bluegrass and romping through the rolling hills.

Attention to detail is essential when caring for horses, just as it is throughout the distillation and aging process for Bourbon. Horses require daily care to ensure their health and wellbeing in every stage of life. The process of creating Bourbon is specific in many ways. For example, the mash bill used to make Bourbon must be at least 51% corn, and Bourbon cannot be distilled above 160 proof, to preserve flavors from the fermentation process. There are many other guidelines in place that distillers are required to fulfill to ensure that a finished product can be considered Bourbon.

Experiencing the best of both industries

One of the most unique similarities between Kentucky’s Horse Country and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is that both industries have become widely accessible through tours and experiences. Tours are offered at horse farms and distilleries throughout the Bluegrass, providing an inside look for guests who want to immerse themselves in these fascinating industries. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail represents a wide variety of operations – from craft distilleries to some of the world’s most well-known operations, all throughout the state of Kentucky. Many of those distilleries are dotted throughout Horse Country, making it easy to pair a distillery tour with a horse farm tour while you’re visiting the Bluegrass State.

Time to plan your trip? We recommend utilizing the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Trip Builder, and be sure to check out our blog about what horse farms are located near distilleries.

Bourbon Fun Facts

Did you know…

• All Bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is Bourbon.

• The Official Cocktail of the Kentucky Derby is the Mint Julep, which has Bourbon, fresh mint, simple syrup, and crushed ice.

• Bourbon is exclusively produced in the United States, with Kentucky producing 95% of the global supply of this spirit.

• There are 12.6 million Bourbon barrels currently aging in Kentucky, far greater than the population of Kentucky, which sits at 4.6 million.

• Bourbon cannot have added color, flavoring agents or other spirits. Distinct flavors in a finished glass of Bourbon can come from a few different things – the mash bill (ingredients or grain mixture), the fermentatation and distillation process, and most commonly, the aging process. Charred oak barrels help bring out the flavors in Bourbon as it ages.

Learn more about all things Bourbon from our friends at the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.