Remember how I was working my way through a batch of tasting notes that I created before I was sick? Well I’ve run out and am only now beginning to trust to ol’ taster. So I thought I might do something different tonight and share some of the interesting things that have recently come across my desk.
The Rebirth of Bourbon: Building a Tourism Economy in Small-town, USA (Economics of Vice)
Details: Available from Amazon for $32.99 (as of this writing). 174 pages. Authors: Steve Coomes, Kim Huston, Michael Mangeot.
Thoughts: Back in October, Bardstown held a virtual edition of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. In the media kit that I was sent was a book partially written by the host of the virtual festival, Steve Coomes that just so happened to be about Bardstown and their bourbon tourism plans. It seemed like the book for me. I love Bardstown, I love bourbon and bourbon tourism, I even like the occasional book about economics.
Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into the book. It’s filled with great information. It’s well written. But I struggled to get through it. It’s possible that even the short page count of 174 pages was a little too much for a book about a very small town’s business plan.
That said, I’d probably still recommend this to people who, like me, love visiting Bardstown and go back year after year. Even if only so you know which changes to prepare for and which to hope for.
Wilderness Trail Owner Honored
Last week I got a press release from Wilderness Trail Distillery letting me know that Owner, Shane Baker was one of two people honored with the new “Esprit de Corps” award from the Kentucky Distillers Association. Quoting from the Press Release:
The Board’s Resolution saluted Baker “for his technical education, assistance and collaborative efforts in the production and distribution of hand sanitizer in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and for his overall support, assistance and guidance to other members of the KDA throughout his tenure with the organization.
“Mr. Baker’s outstanding service and devotion to his community and to the cause helped our beloved Commonwealth contain the early spread of the virus and protected hundreds of doctors, first responders and emergency personnel through the donation of sanitizer and the assistance to KDA members in its manufacture and coordination of resources,” the Resolution stated.
With the poop-show that 2020 has been, it’s nice to remember that there are also some bright spots out there.
Four Roses to Expand Visitor Center
It seems that expanding the distillery was not the only expansions plans that Four Roses had. Last week the news was released of a planned expansion of the Visitor Center. They’ll be using the same architectural firm that helped with the distillery expansion and the original building of the distillery campus in order to maintain the historic look of the campus. Quoting the press release:
The visitor center project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 and will include:
New state-of-the-art bar featuring cocktails and tastings of Four Roses’ current Bourbon portfolio and exclusive product tastings;
Four new seated tasting rooms offering a space for enhanced educational experiences;
Updated retail gift shop with Four Roses’ Bourbon products and other branded merchandise for sale;
Outdoor patio space where visitors can enjoy the beautiful distillery grounds.
The visitor center will also offer interactive, educational experiences dedicated to the rich 132-year history of the Four Roses brand, including an interactive display showcasing archived Four Roses bottlings, vintage advertisements and other memorabilia.
I’ll leave you with a drawing I did during some Autumn downtime. It’s based on a photo that was taken of my wife and Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell at one of the first Kentucky Bourbon Festivals that we attended. The photo didn’t turn out due to a really bad phone camera, but it made for a nice reference for drawing. Jimmy Russell is one of the nicest and most interesting men I’ve talked to at a bourbon distillery. I hope that I still love what I do enough to show up for work when I am his age.
Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.
Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.