Why does the best whiskey come from Kentucky and Tennessee? It's the water! That is one of the first things we learned today on our tour of the Woodford Reserve Distillery where they make super premium Bourbon whiskey. This area sits on a huge limestone aquifer that serves as a giant filter, removing unwanted minerals and adding calcium. The calcium reacts with the yeast during production to make a better Bourbon.
The tour begins in the Distillery Building where they start by cooking up a mixture of corn, rye, malted barley, water and yeast into a "sour mash" which is then transferred to a huge wooden fermenting tank for 4 to 6 days.
The tour begins in the Distillery Building where they start by cooking up a mixture of corn, rye, malted barley, water and yeast into a "sour mash" which is then transferred to a huge wooden fermenting tank for 4 to 6 days.
Once fermentation is complete, the mash is moved to the first of three copper pot stills to begin the process of separating the water and alcohol from the mash. It is distilled three times before being transferred to barrels. The barrels are then moved to the warehouse to be stored for aging by rolling them along rails. The Bourbon remains in the barrels for 7 to 8 years.
When the maturation process is complete and the Bourbon is deemed ready, it is bottled and shipped off to be sold. Some is held back for tour guests to taste (and buy at the gift shop.) So of course we had to buy some - along with some chocolates and Bourbon caramels. YUM. Tom bought a very big bottle, so it should keep us in Mint Juleps for a long time.
1 comment:
Mmmmmm whissssskey....Yumm!
:^)
Pat
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