The Scotchy Bourbon Boys
The Scotchy Bourbon Boys love Whiskey and every thing about the industry! Martin "Super Nash", Jeff "Tiny", Rachel "Roxy" Karl "Whisky" and Chris "CT" all make up The Scotchy Bourbon Boys! Join us in talking everything and anything Whiskey, with the innovators, and distillers around the globe. Go behind the scenes of making great whiskey and learn how some of the best in the whiskey industry make their product! Remember good whiskey means great friends and good times! Go out and Live Your Life Dangerously!
The Scotchy Bourbon Boys
From Stamps to Stories: My 972-Mile Bourbon Adventure On The Kentucky BourbonTrail
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail journey sparked Tiny's bourbon passion and eventually led to the creation of the Scotchy Bourbon Boys podcast. What began as casual bourbon drinking with friends evolved into a full-blown obsession after completing the entire trail in 2019, covering 972 miles and 18 distillery locations.
• Originally started drinking bourbon while painting as an alternative to absinthe
• Discovered bourbon flavors through a whiskey desk calendar in 2018
• Saved $5,000 for a year to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and complete the Bourbon Trail
• Completed all 18 locations of the 16 official distilleries in nine days
• Met bourbon legends like Fred Noe, Freddie Noe and Jimmy Russell
• Special experiences included dipping a Maker's Mark bottle and using a bung hammer at Jim Beam
• Received a commemorative glass upon completing the trail
• The Kentucky Bourbon Trail has expanded from 16 distilleries to 60 experiences across 27 counties
• Buffalo Trace and Barton's chose to leave the official trail but remain essential bourbon destinations
Remember to check us out at scotchiebourbonboys.com for all Scotchy Bourbon Boys merchandise. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, plus all major podcast formats including Apple, iHeart, and Spotify. Like, listen, subscribe, comment and leave good feedback.
How does a former absinthe-loving artist transform into a bourbon enthusiast? For me, it happened through an unforgettable 972-mile journey across Kentucky's rolling hills and distillery landscapes.
My bourbon adventure began unexpectedly when a desk calendar full of whiskey facts challenged my skepticism about flavor notes like "crème brûlée" and "cherry pie." This curiosity blossomed into a meticulously planned nine-day expedition through the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in September 2019. Armed with $5,000 I'd saved specifically for this pilgrimage, I set out to collect stamps from all 16 official distilleries.
The journey wasn't without challenges – from nursing a hangover after overindulging at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival gala to racing across time zones to reach Ozzy Tyler Distillery (now Green River) before closing. Each distillery offered unique moments: dipping my own bottle in Maker's Mark's signature red wax, using a bung hammer at Jim Beam, and sipping whiskey with legends like Fred and Freddie Noe.
What makes this story significant is how drastically the Trail has evolved since my completion. What began as seven distilleries in 1999 has exploded into 60 experiences across 27 Kentucky counties, generating $9 billion annually for the state's economy. The focus has shifted from stamp collection to personalized adventures, with distilleries offering specialized tours, cocktail classes, and dining experiences.
My commemorative completion glass – what I now call "the Eagle Scout Award badge for bourbon" – represents not just a tourist achievement but the beginning of a passion that spawned this very podcast and community. Whether you're planning your own bourbon pilgrimage or simply enjoying from afar, remember that good bourbon equals good times with good friends.
Have you completed any portion of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail? Share your experiences in the comments or tell us which distillery is at the top of your bucket list!
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Tiny here to tell you about Whiskey Thief Distilling Company and their newly opened tasting room. Whether you are up for a farm-to-glass distilling experience on the Three Boys Farm in Frankfort, kentucky, or an out-of-this-world tasting experience in New Loo, you won't be disappointed At both locations. Their barrel picks all day, every day are like none other. Each location features stations with five barrels, each featuring their pot, distilled bourbons and ryes. Once the barrels have been thieved and tasted, you can make a selection and thieve your own bottle A day at Whiskey Thief, with their friendly staff and ownership, will ensure you many good times with good friends and family. Remember to always drink responsibly, never drink and drive, and live your life uncut and unfiltered. Thank you, don't let me go. Don't let me go. All right, welcome back to another podcast of the Scotchy Bourbon Boys.
Speaker 1:Tiny here with myself Very excited tonight to talk about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. About the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and I got a bunch of announcements and I've got tons of stuff going on, lots of people there. I'm going to be monitoring comments and also on YouTube and on Facebook. So feel free tonight, I know on YouTube, check out the Super Chat and also there is a leader's board for anybody who's watching. So we're going to. We started that up. I don't know how that works, but we'll see what happens. I'm willing to try pretty much anything and so excited to be here tonight. Remember wwwscotchiebourbonboyscom for all your Scotchie Bourbon Boys merchandise. Scotchibourbonboyscom for all your Scotchie Bourbon Boys merchandise. We've got glands, we've got t-shirts. Check it out, find out about our bios and then also check us out on Facebook, instagram, youtube X and also all the major podcast formats for audio, mainly Apple, iheart, spotify. But no matter how you watch us or listen to us, make sure that you like, listen, subscribe, comment and leave good feedback. That good feedback means so much to us. All right, so got through that, everything looking good tonight. It's going to be a pretty cool podcast because one I wanted to talk a little bit about what the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is and means to me, because it's pretty much what got the podcast started, you know, and it had to do with the combination between the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. So to go a lead up on how this all happened. So a lot of you already have heard the story many times before. But initially, what got me into a friend of mine? We would hang out and he was a bourbon fan.
Speaker 1:I was into Absinthe as being an artist and one of the things that Absinthe and I still to this day do some artwork. But Absinthe is a very unique spirit in why writers and artists used it throughout time because of the thujone in the wormwood, one of the things. The alcohol content is always high and you basically mix it with water and what happens is you get buzzed drinking absinthe but you don't lose your motor control. Now, if you're just drinking absinthe, this is an actual fact. So I always drank absinthe when I was painting. But if I was drinking absinthe in the afternoon and I painted, I would switch over to something else, and my friend, who also drank absinthe with me to some extent, was into bourbon. So we would have, we'd give each other presents and this was probably about 2013, 14. Eh Taylor was on the shelf. I would we you know a small batch I didn't really know a lot about. Basil Hayden was something that we would grab and drink, and then also, like the Evan Williams, he loved Evan Williams and Jim Beam and you know those type of things. That's kind of what I was into, but I wasn't into the relaxation but because I was into absinthe and then at one point, what happens with absinthe is you only need two, and anything else after that it doesn't do anything else, it's just if you have three or four, you're just kind of wasting your time spinning your wheels. You might see the green fairy, but that's one of the reasons why some people drank people drank it and it had harsh results. Because of that, it just doesn't keep going. Put it that way.
Speaker 1:So when I got into so I I bought a calendar in 2000 I want to say 2018 and it was, uh, had to be like in january because I was at Books a Million, and it was a whiskey calendar. And one of the things about that whiskey calendar was that it was a desktop calendar and it gave out facts, little things. It told you what the what feints were. It told you what you know. They told you what the heads, the tails and the hearts in the feints and you know I mean it, the heart of the run, the feints, and then, I think, the four shots. Four shots, things like that gave you tons of information on whiskey, but it also gave you critiques and reviews of bottles, from scotch to bourbon to Irish whiskey. They were all there and, as we were going forward, I had a young man who worked with me, who was initially young, nose, who formed the podcast with me.
Speaker 1:We were reading these calendar things and all of a sudden, they're like creme brulee and cherry pie and peach cobbler and we're just like bs bullshit. So we started buying some bottles to that they had. We would go to the liquor store and find them and, sure, sure enough, there was these flavors. So we formed a little whiskey group amongst the workers at where I work and it was five or six of us, and the same thing with a friend that I was drinking the absinthe and bourbon with. He was in it and a couple other people, and so we started doing that. And then in September of 2018, on my birthday, september 21st the actual.
Speaker 1:Let's see Mike Likerts how many whatever the actual my birthday, september 21st. There was a thing that said every third week in Kentucky there was a Kentucky Bourbon Festival. So I found out about that and I looked and I read it, and so this is September, and in October my wife says to me there's a conference in Lexington and they say that the Kentucky Bourbon Festival is the weekend before and that whatever. And so I said, oh, I had read about that. So we decided we were going to go down to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival Thursday, friday, saturday, sunday, then Monday was an off day, then Tuesday we would go to Lexington, and Wednesday, thursday and Friday was our conference would go to Lexington, and Wednesday, thursday and Friday was her conference. So for a year I saved everything I had. I had like five grand to go down. I saved every penny. I put it away. I wanted to go to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and buy bourbon and whiskey that I wanted. And as we were going through that year, the group was getting together, we were buying certain things. We met Super Nash and no, not yet. We hadn't met Super Nash, but we were still doing our little thing. I signed up for no, not yet.
Speaker 1:So we get around to the summer of 2019 and I had, you know, bought a new shelf. I had done what else? I had bought a shelf for the bourbon that I had been buying and we had had a couple tastings with the guys, and so it was going. So I had done an art video blog for seven years, from 2010 to 2017. And so I had some podcasting equipment and experience doing this. So we go to Kentucky Bourbon Festival and I find out about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. So I plotted out all the distilleries on a map at work and then I basically figured out what I was going to do, and at the time, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail consisted of 16 different distilleries plus two distilleries Four Roses and Jim Beam had two locations, for a total of 18 different places to go. There was no craft distillery tour yet. There was no craft distillery tour yet. So when we went, I was going and made it so that in that Thursday, through the following that Thursday, Friday, saturday, sunday, monday, Tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday those nine days I believe it was I was going to complete the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and that's where we get onto this part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail One what the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Speaker 1:I've got a history right here. So let's go over the history. I don't know if I need to share it. You guys don't need to. I'll put the history over here. Let's see if I hey, that's bizarre, it won't go. Let's see if I can get that history in. Okay, a chronological history of the Bourbon Trail.
Speaker 1:In 1999, the original members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail were Buffalo Trace in Frankfurt, Four Roses in Lawrenceburg, heaven Hill in Bardstown, jim Beam in Claremont, maker's Mark in Laredo, wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg and Woodford Reserve in Frankfurt. The eighth distillery to join the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is the one that most people forget or do not recognize. In 2008, the Tom Moore Distillery in Bardstown joined the trail. At this point, eight total distilleries were officially members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. So then, in 2009, buffalo Trace and Tom Moore, both distilleries owned by Sazerac, opted out of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The Tom Moore Distillery is now known as the Barton 1792. So that's in 2009, buffalo Trace and Barton's. Now, the reason for them dropping out was 100% based off of the reason for them dropping out was 100% based off of them. What Buffalo Trace explained is they didn't want to pay the trail fees to get people to come to their place. They offered free tours and tastings and still do to this day. So you don't have to pay for your tours and tastings at Buffalo Trace and that's where they put the money into the people that come. And they're not part of the trail, even though I'm going to tell you they might not be an active part of the trail, but they definitely are part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. When people are down there, I don't think anybody in the area of Frankfurt, if they're going around there, that they're going to skip Buffalo Trace. It just doesn't happen. But it's not part of the tour of the accomplishment.
Speaker 1:Then, in 2012, was a year of expansion. In 2012, town Branch Distillery joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in the same class as the original distilleries based on size and volume. In the same class as the original distilleries based on size and volume. However, this is the same year that the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour began, with the original members of Barrel House in Lexington, limestone Branch in Lebanon, old Pogue in Maysville, willett in Bardstown, mb Rowland in Pembroke, cause Air Artisan in Bowling Green and, finally, silver Trail Distillery in Hardin. Silver Trail closed in 2015 and Cause Air Artisan closed in 2018.
Speaker 1:2014. Despite being in the Louisville Kentucky area. Evan Williams and Stitzel Weller could not have been more different. Stitzel Weller, the longtime home of Old Fitzgerald, with the Weller family's history and Pappy Van Winkle, is an old-school experience. The Evan Williams experience is modern, with an almost Disney-type vibe.
Speaker 1:Both joined Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2014. Another member joined the Kentucky Bourbon Craft Tour in Northern Kentucky New Riff in Newport, kentucky, also joined in 2014. Then Hartfield and Company, which we were at in Paris, based in Paris, kentucky, became a member of the craft tour along with the Kentucky Peerless in Louisville in 2015. 2016, kentucky Artisan in Crestwood joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. Kentucky Artisan is a comfortable distillery and the home to Jefferson's Bourbon, but I'm sure, I believe, that Jefferson's distillery and Ocean's distillery, which opened across the street from Limestone Branch, is now they have their own distillery. So in 2017, two distilleries Boone County Independence and Bluegrass Distillers in Lexington, joined the craft tour. On the larger side, louisville Distilling Company joined. You will recognize them by the name of Angels Envy.
Speaker 1:2018 was a big year for large distilleries. Bardstown Bourbon Company joined the trail along with Luxe Row in Bardstown, Kentucky. Then, moving north and west, old Forester joined in Louisville and Green River Distillery, which in Owensboro at the time, green River was known as Ozzie Tyler brand. 2019 brought an explosion of new members and this is where I come in to the original Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the craft tour on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail side. Bullet joined in Shively with Mictors and Rabbit Hole opening in Louisville. Joining the Kentucky Bourbon Trail craft tour were Boundary Oak in Radcliffe, casey Jones in Hopkinsville, dueling Grounds in Franklin, second Sight Spirits in Ludlow, kentucky.
Speaker 1:Neely Family Distillery in Sparta, preservation in Historic Bardstown, kentucky, and James E Pepper in Lexington. So we're talking 2019. This is the year that I went on the trail. So, um, so this is the year I went on the trail and there, like I said, there were 16 stamps with 18 places to visit. I visited all 18. Plus limestone branch preservation. I want to say Neely, wait, did I get Neely? No, I didn't do Neely that year. I had met Nash already In 2019, we had it. So it would have been. It would have been. It would have been Limestone Branch Neely. No, not Limestone Branch Preservation. I went to and then I also went to the Barrel House in Lexington and James E Pepper.
Speaker 1:I didn't really know too much about the craft distillery tour, but those I went to, those are all the different places and Ozzy Tyler is in Owensboro, which is like two hours from Bardstown in Louisville, so that one was the tricky one and I figured it out. So while we were initially at the Kentucky Bourbon, uh, we went down on a Thursday night, stayed Friday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday and, uh, there was no bourbon in the air. So the actual Kentucky Bourbon Festival was Friday, saturday and Sunday. We had VIP passes but in the meantime we went to. I want to say we got tours. When we came in, we toured Buffalo Trace on Thursday night, that didn't count. And then we came down to. We toured Buffalo Trace on Thursday night, that didn't count. And then we came down to where we were staying.
Speaker 1:I want to say, okay, so this is. I got all the dates. September 24th was Maker's Mark, monday September 23rd. I'm going to just I'll see when I got it 28th, sunday, the 22nd, 26th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 23rd is the Monday, 24th was Thursday, 23rd was Monday 23rd, 27th, saturday September 21st and Monday September 23rd. So the first place that we went was Heaven Hill on the Saturday and that was my, so I did notes on it.
Speaker 1:It's a little book that you got. The cover's missing on the book because it's in a frame. Let's see I can. There might be a share. Let's just see if I can pull photos up. No-transcript is this? Yep, there it is. I took the photo, all right, so we could go to share screen real quick. Everybody on the audio does not see this, but there it is. Share, all right, you can see that. I will pull this across to here. Nope, that didn't allow me to do it, did it? Nope, how about that? All right, so there we go, you can all can see it.
Speaker 1:This is the map. I wonder if can I do it? Okay, all right, this is the map and it tells you all the different distilleries this is the Kentucky Bourbon Trail All the distilleries and how far they were away. But you can see in the share screen right here that the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was. That's the little booklet and there's the stamp that I got for doing the full trail. So I took the, so the covers off this one and it's in there because that's the full trail. And then this is another book that I had that I put into the thing. Here's the Kentucky Bourbon trail map and here's all the different and their distances between each other. So that was kind of cool. All right, I will stop sharing here, but you can see that the book and the map and everything that was cool.
Speaker 1:So back then let's get back over here. Make sure, uh, roger, second, straight in ludlow is a really good time. Second site in ludlow oh, that's kind of cool. Good to know. Uh, roger, I gotta talk to you about the tour coming up, so that should be fun. And then, uh, let's see where are we at, okay, so the first one was Heaven Hill. We took the tour and went through and, honestly, the first Kentucky tour was the night before at Buffalo Trace, and now we're at Heaven Hill on the 21st. As far as the first stamp on the trail for me, which was Saturday, it said my birthday great tour picked up four tasting mini glens, and they're actually, I believe there's probably one of them back there. Back here there is definitely a Heaven Hill mini glen that I picked up. That's probably the first version of a Glen that I had. So that's kind of cool. So then the next one was Sunday.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Saturday night at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival was the gala. I purchased the tux. Uh, I went, me and me and roxy went in the tux and what happened was is we bought the vip for the gala, which was from seven to eight, early access. You got a glen karen I still have the glen karen from that but the food was just grapes and cheeses and whatnot, and the, the, the, the pours were spectacular. Um, you got to have a pour of wild Turkey. Um, what was it? Uh, what's the one in the box? I'm just for some reason. Uh, what's the one in the box? I'm just for some reason, it's not master. What is it? Help me out there. Anyways, it was a special pour of wild turkey with Jimmy Russell.
Speaker 1:That's the first time I met Fred and Freddy. I had met at the Friday night and had them sign my painting the night before at their dinner. So at the Saturday night at the gala, I was talking to Fred, freddie. I really met Sandy that night. That was just spectacular, but I overdid it.
Speaker 1:So Sunday morning rolls around and I'm okay, but after how much? I had too many pours and I was many pours and I was over-served myself. I over-served myself. I think what really got me was I loved I got to taste Basil Hayden Caribbean Rye and a guy came over and told me to taste it. And then I had another one and I learned a lesson, anyways, but I was alright. But we had to do brunch on Sunday because the festival was over, because Saturday night the festival. So we met saturday, okay. So we met friends from kentucky at rabbit. We actually met them at a place for brunch and then after brunch the packers were playing and everything, and we went there. We went to rabbit hole.
Speaker 1:So now it's about the tour and the tasting it's. I had it's. I, like I said, I learned a lesson. I never. All I can say is I overdid it to the point where I was okay the next day because of what happened, but I still wasn't feeling great.
Speaker 1:And it's about noon, the Packers are playing, the people from Kentucky are Packer friends. We go into the bar. I'm not drinking anything. They're drinking on the brunch, they're having Belizes and they're having no Bellinis and what's the other. You know, they're just having breakfast or orange juice, and it was crazy. But I was like no, I'm just going to stick with orange juice, I'm fine, everything's good.
Speaker 1:And then we go to the bar and we're sitting there and I still don't order anything and my friend has a couple beers and all of a sudden, wouldn't you know? Um, the beer happens because another table orders it and the guy's a jerk and the waitress liked our table with my wife and his wife and uh, she's like, does anybody here want a beer? They ordered it and whatever. And I'm like, and my friend looks at me, I'm like, okay. So I had a beer and then we went to rabbit hole that sunday and, um, for here's what it says, met friends. I don't know why I'm trying to do this in the dark, but I will hit oh wow. Met friends for late brunch and then took tour and closed the place, picked up a cocktail shaker and a strainer.
Speaker 1:So we go to Rabbit Hole and Adam Edwards is our tour guide. He takes us through, takes us up. It's about 5 o'clock, the place closed at 7. But I had a whiskey sour probably one of the best whiskey sours. Plus, I did the tasting and we picked up the rabbit hole experience. So now we're looking for Monday the 23rd. So there we go. We got two of the 18.
Speaker 1:So Monday the 23rd, my wife Roxy and I went to Louisville we're staying in Bardstown we went to Louisville and on Monday we didn't realize it, but we stopped in. All tours were booked online but it had a 3.30 opening at Angel's Envy so we went there. We went to Angel's Envy, took the tour, got the stamp Angel's Envy at the time. I liked the place. I always liked the place. We've been back a couple times. It's a super nice place.
Speaker 1:And then we went to Bullet, picked up a bottle of IW. Okay, so Bullet at Stitzel Weller is the old Stitzel Weller distillery and we did the tour there and I picked up a bottle of IW Harper 15-year-old plus a Stitzel Weller hat which I still have. People were nice and very cool to bullet in the old offices at Stitzel Weller had replicated the offices from the history of bullet and had those offices right there at the Stitzel Weller distillery. And bow works. Uh, blade and bow is from what is made also iw harper blade and bow. But blade and blow bow has keys and when you become part of the key club, your glass goes up and you can anytime you tour after that you can pick it up or leave it on the shelf. It's really a cool kind of thing. So we learned that at Bullet. So this is the tour and so that's Monday.
Speaker 1:Then we also went to the Evan Williams Experience, which was really cool. Coolest tour. Loved the old world replication and reenactment plus 1960s tasting bar. Very cool. Picked up a bottle of Ellen Evan Williams master distillers and master distiller is what? Still one of my favorite bourbons. That's the first time I got to taste it, so that was really cool.
Speaker 1:Then I believe, um, what was? There was one that was closed that we had it was on Monday and we had to go back which was in Michter's. We stopped in on the gift shop at that time I really didn't know what Michter's was Got the stamp and we got out and Old Forrester was closed. Okay, so Old Forrester was closed. So what happened was that was Monday. So we go back from Louisville and we didn't get to go. So I'm like that's crazy, I could be in trouble. This could be the reason why I don't complete the trail.
Speaker 1:So Tuesday is the day we transfer to Lexington and I convinced my wife, I convinced Roxy, that I need this. So we go up to Old Forrester first, right, we leave our Airbnb and head to Old Forrester. First, right, we leave our Airbnb and head to Old Forrester and it says drove back to Louisville to visit this distillery, bought gifts for brother-in-law and two highball glasses with measuring points. I still love those highball glasses to date. Still have it, and so that's what we picked up Tuesday, the 24th. Now here we go.
Speaker 1:Woodford 27th, monday, september 23rd. Okay, wild turkey. That's on the end. Where's the makers? So, also before we before, so what happened that morning was we had makers mark books because so, and before so what happened that morning was we had Maker's Mark booked because so the 24th is also, we went to Luxro. I got, oh, my god, and oh got a keychain. Okay, so Luxro, I had no idea what they were, so this is what it was got a keychain and recognized that they make Ezra Brooks. So there you go, lux, lux, roe, ezra Brooks. That's what I came away with, got that stamp. Then we went and had a tour While great tour scenic distillery dip my own bottle signed up for, of 2019, for the Ambassador Club. So I got my pin.
Speaker 1:So then we went to, we finished up at Old Forrester and then we headed to Lexington Lexington. So Lexington is a whole different thing for me, because now my wife is going to go to, so what she does is she is now going to her thing. So the first day was Wednesday of her, it was the opening day for her thing. So I walked from the hotel nice walk, took the distillery tour and tasting the single barrel was very good, great tour guide, she was awesome and it was from Town Branch branch. So that's what I caught on the 25th, now the 20s, that's wednesday the 25th, that would have been, that's the 27th, while turkey was the 27th, woodford was the 27th and so was was oh, I forgot. On Bardstown, that's the one I forgot. So also on Tuesday, the day before we had lunch. A brisket sandwich and fried chicken were high profile, tasting was good and got the Norland whiskey glasses set at two and that's what we did. So we went from, I think we went lux row makers mark bardstown bourbon company up to old forester.
Speaker 1:So that day, that tuesday, monday tuesday, with my wife was spectacular, but we did four places. Now then I went to town branch, but that day also I went to Town Branch. But that day also I went to James E Pepper and the Barrel House. That were right across the street from Town Branch, even though it's like a highway you have to cross over Now. So I'm left with that Wednesday. So Thursday I also the Jim Beam experience that happened on Monday, when we were up in Louisville, we went to the Jim Beam distillery and there you go, I picked up this personalized bottle and so you guys can see it it's the Urban Stillhouse Select. I had it. This is my birthday. I had it engraved for my birthday. So this one says Age to Perfection Jeff Mueller, september 21st 2019. So you've got that right there. I put my birthday on it. It's still not been opened. It's a special bottle that was engraved. Then, on this day, that was up at the Urban Stillhouse.
Speaker 1:Now, this Thursday was a big day for me because I had a luncheon with Fred and Freddie no. So first we had the dinner at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. That was a dinner on Friday night, then Saturday night was the gala, but this Thursday night was lunch with them. So here and I also bought a Jim Beam decanter. But at the Urban Stillhouse lunch with Fred and Freddie no, tour was amazing. I got to use the bung hammer and hit the barrel and pop open the bung and then they thieved right from a six year um, jim being black, so that. So there we go. So we're, we're kind of like completely. I mean so that Thursday I believe the the the lunch was from 12 to two.
Speaker 1:So I want to say so I knew that Ozzie Tyler, this was the hard one. That was two hours away. So I got out of there right away. Even though Fred and Freddie were willing and talking to me, I had to leave, jump in the car and drive the two hours. Now I think it was like until three, so that would have put me at Ozzy Tyler at five. I had called ahead and I realized Owensboro is in a different time zone so it really put me there at four and the last tour was at four. So I got there right at four, joined the tour already in progress and got the stamp for ozzy tyler.
Speaker 1:But the hard part about part about this ozzy tyler here it was drove two hours across kentucky. The people there stayed open late for me, great people, interesting process. That's where I learned about their rapper and aging and their rosy, which was just a total disaster. They eventually sold and became Green River and Green River has some damn good stock of what they were doing, that they weren't rapid aging. So it's really kind of cool.
Speaker 1:But the hard part about that is when the tour was over at 5 o'clock, which is technically 6 o'clock I now had a three hour drive back to Lexington. That's where we were staying, because it's two hours back to Bardstown and one hour to Lexington. So it was a long day but I got the stamp as you can see the Ozzie Tyler stamp right there and then finished up the next day with a tour. That is where I met the tour guide, who was a podcaster and I still his name is eluding me he still he pod. I believe he still podcasts. But he took us, took us to the tour, started, I believe, at wild Turkey in the morning. They picked us, picked me up.
Speaker 1:Um, last day started with bottled in bond bus tour. This was the first stop, only tasting. I owned all the. I owned all the bourbon already. Rare Breed is one of my favorites. $24.99 hoodie, great score. So I got a wild turkey hoodie. I still have that hoodie. And then the next place that we stopped was Four Roses. Now, when I was in, where is Four Roses? Let's talk about this. They took us there. We did a tour and actually the master distiller was in. Not okay, four Roses. Second stop bus tour. Tasting was awesome. Three guys I met on tour I became the fourth Bought a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel Select from the gift shop.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a single barrel select for the gift shop from the gift shop. Oh, yeah, it was a single barrel select for the gift shop. Only scored a bourbon trail hoodie. So I got a Kentucky bourbon trail hoodie. And then the last place was Woodford and the Woodford reserve, which was the second in there which finished off the trail. It's funny because I just there it is, um september 27, 2009, the last stop on the bus tour scored a bottle of bourbon and gold engraved. It got a bung on the tour and my rock I got rocks for cooling bourbon.
Speaker 1:Finished with the Kentucky Mule, which I still have, the glass from there, the copper glass from that Kentucky Mule. But this is the bottle that got engraved. It says actually it's private stock of Jeff Mueller, september 27, 2019. It's selected by Master Distiller Chris Morris, 45.2. So it was the proprietary batch, so that one I got.
Speaker 1:So what I wanted to do is show everybody Saturday it's all over and we go to, I believe I want to say in Lexington, we go to the courthouse and I was able to pick up this fantastic Kentucky bourbon trail which says 16 distilleries finished, 2019. The world famous Kentucky bourbon trail. So I was able to secure this glass. I figured out 972 miles, so that was the tour in. I'm going to have a sip of this.
Speaker 1:At one point this got opened. I didn't open it Sometime, it got open, so this is from 2019. It is a Woodford Reserve and I'm going to sip that with you guys. But one of the cool things I should be monitoring the no, no One of the cool things the glass. I love the glass. That's kind of what I was going after it and at the bottom it says Kentucky Bourbon Trail. I really am proud of this glass, randy. I look at it. This is the Eagle Scout Award badge for bourbon. I mean the trail. It was was a commitment you guys kind of saw. At one point everything didn't work out and I had to go back and I'm sorry for I can't believe that I don't have up all right. So there's the. So let's talk about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. You know I finished it in 2019. The Craft Trail I wonder if it failed to. Am I off? That's there, let's see. Do I go backwards on that one? Is there a back? What happened?
Speaker 1:here, Where's my reload? Failed to open page. All right, there was a history I had that. I had that. I do not think that's right. Nope, all right, I got to go back. I guess I got to go find. Is the history over here Could be? No, I had dumped it over there, so I should be okay, that's where it should be. Okay, let's go back over here. Let's go to this, go to that. There we go. So that's 2019.
Speaker 1:2020, the newest member of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was Wilderness Trail. They moved from the craft tour to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail because of the increase of their volume of production. Dansville, kentucky, is the home of Wilderness Trail. 2021, this year saw impressive growth on the craft tour side. Things joining in 21s were Copper and Kings in Louisville, known for their brandy. The Bard, located in Graham, kentucky, is home to Cinder and Smoked. Bourbon. Castle and Key is a historic property in Frankfort, kentucky, and Logstill in Gethsemane, kentucky. 2022, the sole member joining the craft tour 2022, was Whiskey Thief. That is one of our sponsors and that was a huge year. They were previously known as Three Boys Farm. They actually changed their name on our podcast, so that was a huge year. They were previously known as Three Boys Farm. They actually changed their name on our podcast, so that was cool.
Speaker 1:2023, four new members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour join the 2023. They are RD1 Spirits in the Lexington Distillery District, which is now their Saturday. I will be at their brand new distillery, so that's pretty cool. Fresh Bourbon in downtown Lexington. Augusta Distillery we were there with Alex and she's fantastic. Alec Castle and that's a great distillery. And the Pensive Distilling Company and Kitchen in Newport, kentucky. Okay, that's where we are in 2023, 2024. Now in 2025, let's where we are in 2023, 2024. Now in 2025, let's go to this. This is the Kentucky Bourbon Trail experience now, which is crazy to me because it went to 60, grows to 60 experiences. They added chicken cock distilling in Bardstown. They added Bespoken, they added Girard County Distilling and RD1 Spirit in Lexington, central Bluegrass Distillers, heaven's Door Distillery, larkin Bourbon, northern Becker and Bird Winery and Distillery Wenzel Distilling, Buzzards Roost Spirits in Louisville, bardstown Bourbon Company Tasting Room, monks Road, boiler House Tasting Room, which has a steakhouse right there. Whiskey Thief Distilling Tasting Room in Louisville has been added, and then BH James Distillers and Southern Kentucky Distillery, berksville coming soon. You've got the Potter Jane coming online too. They're distilling. So there's so many different things.
Speaker 1:Proud to welcome more than a dozen new experiences to its Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour, growing opportunities for visitors worldwide to explore Kentucky bourbon and benefiting local communities throughout the state. Since its launch in 1999, the trail adventure has seen tremendous growth, elevating tourism from the entire Commonwealth and consistently breaking attendance records, with more than 2.5 million visitors annually. The latest expansion includes new distillery offerings and satellite tasting rooms, bringing the Bourbon Trail to a total of 60 destinations in 27 Kentucky, in 27 of Kentucky's 120 counties. The growth is part of the new Kentucky Bourbon Trail campaign that encourages visitors to build your own Bourbon Trail tour. As a bourbon tourism continues to thrive, our members are creating more opportunities for the world to experience the heart and soul of America spirit in a variety of ways that meet every visitor's interest. What began as a small group of distilleries has now grown into an ever-expanding bucket list destination with global appeals. She said Each new addition is more than a stop on a map.
Speaker 1:It's a celebration of Kentucky's bourbon's rich history and proud heritage map. It's a celebration of Kentucky's bourbon's rich history and proud heritage. More than 80% of all Kentucky bourbon trail visitors come from outside Kentucky. Research show. Bourbon trail visitors have a much higher household income than typical Kentucky. Tourists trend younger, stay longer, come in larger groups and spend more money in Kentucky communities. Bourbon is a $9 billion economic and tourism powerhouse for kentucky, generating more than 23 000 jobs with 2.2 billion in salaries and benefits. The industry continues to break records in aging bourbon barrel inventory inventory 14.3 million and production 3.2 million barrels filled in 2023. Even as an alcoholic or beverages beverages are seeing a slowdown in sales.
Speaker 1:Kentucky DA President Eric Gregory says he does not believe bourbon tourism will be impacted by headwinds like shifts in consumer trends, snowballing taxes and a threat of regulatory tariffs on US goods. Kentucky is one of the true and authentic homes for bourbon, he said. While we keep breaking attendance records, there are plenty of people around the world who have never made the pilgrimage to the birthplace of bourbon and many more who are planning the return. It's I mean, it's just crazy. This is one of the cool, cool things the distilleries.
Speaker 1:When you click on this, the greatest journey, um, your bourbon experience awaits. I mean, here's angels envy, bardstown, bourbon company, bardstown bourbon company, tasting room, bullet distilling, castle and key and evan williams. But there's there's 10 more of these six things. The map is just overwhelmed with places to go. So when you go to, you build your own experience. So what it's come down to is that in 2019, I was able to go to the 16, 18 total places Four Roses I actually stopped at that place along the way too, but it wasn't on the stamp. But it was what would you say? It's cool that you could get a glass and you could complete it.
Speaker 1:But now the trail is driving force for fantastic bourbon experiences. So what I mean is things to do. So this is where the fun begins. So right here, they got all the tours right here Private Select Tour at Angel's Envy They've got one bottle of your own single barrels.
Speaker 1:Angel and Envy. Manhattan Cocktail Class. Ride Cocktail Class Behind the Bar. Cocktail Class. Signature Tour that's what happens at A&B. Fill your own bottle. Vip experience at Bardstown Bourbon Company. Bardstown Bourbon Company bourbon in bottle Tour with the master distiller.
Speaker 1:You visit the site behind the scenes. Looks like that's the, that's the nick smith there. And then you got the art of blending tour shake, shaken and stirred. That's the first of 16. I mean, let's see smoked, old-fashioned bullet bullet mixed and muddled creative cocktail. You know so Russian Bullet Bullet Mixed and Muddled Creative Cocktails. So all the distilleries have all the different things. I went down Whiskey Thief has a bottle. It's like their tours and tastings and whatever.
Speaker 1:So, honestly, the coolest thing about this, in my opinion in my opinion, is that the trail has gone, from you trying to complete it to you make your best experience of what you want to do. Now, the reason why I don't think you can complete the trail in a year it's difficult to go to 60 distilleries in a place that you don't live. Now, if I lived in Kentucky, I might be able to do the 60 distilleries. I would come up with a reason to go to all the different distilleries. You know what I'm saying. I would actually figure out how to go to these different distilleries. And the other thing is is that there's a ton of food now and when you look at this, they actually have it eat and drink. So that is part of the tour too.
Speaker 1:You are talking about the bars the cocktail lounge at Green River cocktails and tasting wild turkey finishing bar at Angel's Envy. Five Brothers Bar at Heaven Hill. George's Bar at Old Forrester, gift Shop Cocktail Bar at Lux Row. Mixers Bar at Fort Nelson. So they've got all the different Overlook Bar at Rabbit Hole that is a damn good bar. Star Hill Provisions I've eaten lunch there.
Speaker 1:Taylorton Station at Castle and Key I mean, I've had food from there. Also the Aquifer Tasting Bar I was up there at New Rift. The Cocktail Bar at Bullet have not been there yet. Cocktail Lounge at Woodford Reserve yes, I've been there. The Garden and Gun Club at Stitzel Weller no.
Speaker 1:But I mean these are all the different things you can do. They're all there. It's on the website. So if you're planning a trip down and they even have all the different stays, you know they've got the different places to stay. All the hotels I didn't see, you know the Bardstown which now has the Trail Hotel, which I'm going to be staying at tomorrow night. So I'm looking forward to that. So there you go. I mean, the Bourbon Trail has completely evolved from something of an accomplishment like getting a badge badge to creating your own experience, because with 60 distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and that doesn't include Buffalo Trace Barton's doesn't do tours anymore.
Speaker 1:But we are going to be podcasting for you on Saturday or tomorrow. Tomorrow from Barton's, saturday, from RD1 Spirits and their new place. This is going to be pretty much between 11 and 12 o'clock going live and doing the podcast on Friday, saturday and Sunday. Sunday will be Whiskey Thief with Lisa, roper Wicker and Walter Zausch, so that should be pretty cool. And who else you don't know who else could be on that podcast. So I think that covers the Bourbon Trail for everybody.
Speaker 1:Anybody listening in. You know other, uh, make sure that you know this is this, this one, the Kentucky bourbon trail, is a good one, uh, it's. You go to the web, I believe it's KY bourbon trailcom. Uh, and you set it all up. I mean, if you know and you listen to the podcast, we talk about the experiences and everything and all the things that you can do, and I've done a lot of them through the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. So you, 16 distilleries finished 2019, and it's got the Kentucky Bourbon Trail logo plus Kentucky Bourbon. Very proud of it. And when you're talking about the trail, it's good. I've got some Woodford Reserve from my engraved glass, which was a private batch for the gift shop, which it says, I want to say private selection of Jeff Mueller, september 27th 2019. So I've got that in there.
Speaker 1:Well, everybody, I think that does it for tonight. If you stay on Facebook and YouTube. Afterwards a little bit on Facebook. I'm going to keep this going just a little bit longer and I'll send you guys out, whoever's been listening, an invitation to come on. But we're going to finish this up right now. Remember, let's see. I got to remember how I'm doing this. Yeah, okay, I've got it. Let me see, I think it's right here, right there, all right. So we got to reset it tonight. There we go. I hope it doesn't play, it's not All right.
Speaker 1:Everybody, remember wwwscotchiebourbonboyscom for all things Scotchie Bourbon Boys. You can check out our bios, you can get a t-shirt, you can get a Glen Karen like this one right here, those are sharp, they're available. Contact me directly if you want. And then also remember Facebook, Instagram, youtube and X right, still nothing on TikTok because I'm not doing that until it's corrected. But then also we are on all the major podcast audio formats, mainly Apple, iheart and Spotify. But no matter how, where you listen to us or watch us, remember like, listen, comment, subscribe and leave good feedback. Feedback's very important. And remember good bourbon, good whiskey, equals good times with good friends. Make sure that you drink responsibly, don't drink and drive, and live your life uncut and unfiltered.
Speaker 3:And we are going to get out of our crew. Listen along and find out how that can be. You Spend time with the boys. You don't want to miss us. It's just twice a week, whether it's Ohio, kentucky, milwaukee or South Carolina. Listen along and have a good time. We make sure to leave the bad times behind.
Speaker 2:Bourbon is the blood that makes a lifelong bond With our friends and neighbors, even some across the pond.
Speaker 3:I can't wait until the next time we meet, because I'm always looking for the next bourbon. Yes, please, I'll have it neat. Show me the way to another whiskey bar, where it'll be. It won't be too far With friends and family. Close, we will never be alone oh.
