Bourbon Trail - Day 2 - Jim Beam, Heaven Hill and Maker's Mark

After breakfast, we drove to Clermont to tour the Jim Beam Distillery facilities.  "Jimmy" is Dwayne's primary bourbon for mixed drinks and can always be found in his liquor cabinet.  Jim Beam is sold worldwide and about 25% of all bourbon sold sports a Jim Beam label.  Jim Beam's 15 millionth barrel was filled on March 12, 2018.  Seven generations of Beam family members have been distilling bourbon in Kentucky for over 200 years.  The tour was comprehensive and the facility is expansive.  We bottled our own Knob Creek Single Barrel as a souvenir.

A Welcome Offering at Jim Beam

Rickhouses

Martin Bottling His Own Bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel

From Beam, we drove to Heaven Hill where we didn't take a tour of the facility but instead enjoyed their connoisseur tasting where we learned more about how what makes various whiskeys smell and taste different despite being made of essentially the same ingredients.   Heaven Hill has one of the most beautiful settings for their distillery which is located on a stream running through a low valley.  Heaven Hill produces wide range of whiskeys and is sold world wide under nearly 100 different labels.  Evan Williams is their biggest seller in the US. The distillery grounds are extremely well maintained.  Like Jim Beam, Heaven Hill produces about 25% of Kentucky bourbon.

Some of the Heaven Hill Brands

Maker's Mark was a particularly interesting tour as they have a unique method of influencing the taste of certain of their bourbons and have an astonishing display of Chihuly glass hanging above you as you enter the rickhouse used for their tours.  The artist even included a couple of glass angel's to remind us that the angels get their cut of the whiskey as it evaporates from the stored barrels.  The tasting room was bright and artfully done.  It was a great way to end the day of tasting.

Chuhuly Glass in Maker's Mark Rickhouse

Chuhuly Rickhouse Angel