Only three days until The 135th Kentucky Derby and BourbonBlog.com takes you to the Backside of Churchill Downs. We begin our day walking around the stables, meeting new friends and characters that bring Churchill Downs to life! Video below…

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Louisville bartenders and mixologists are challenged to create new versions of classic Mint Julep Bourbon Cocktails with Four Roses Bourbon. We samples these “”Rose Julep” creations at the cocktail competition at Sully’s Tavern on 4th Street Live.

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Louisville Executive Aviation flies us in a private jet to Out of the Blue. This 5th annual exceptional collection of private aircraft and automobiles happens every year right before Derby. We end our evening by staying the one of a kind 21c Museum Hotel.

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We just returned from the 5th Annual Out of the Blue at Louisville Executive Aviation, showcasing an exceptional collection of private aircraft and automobiles in one spectacular evening. Our thanks to Louisville Executive Aviation for inviting us and for flying us in. We will be posting a video soon from Out of the Blue. For now we invite you to browse the photos below by Tripodder Media Photographer Chris Baggs.

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The 135th Kentucky Derby is only weeks away and we are kicking off BourbnoBlog.com’s 2009 Derby Coverage. The celebrities, galas and all the Derby fun! We also are including a few videos from our 2008 Derby Coverage below.

The Grand Gala, Kentucky Derby 2008

The Mint Jubilee Gala, Kentucky Derby 2008

Kentucky Derby Museum Gala, Kentucky Derby 2008

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We’re drinking bourbon down the street from where a lot of it is born. Welcome to The Bourbon Bar in the Bourbon Capital of the World: Bardstown, Kentucky. The Bourbon Bar is a part of The Old Talbott Tavern which dates back to the to late 1700′s. For more videos, visit BourbonBlog.com

Appearance by Country/Acoustic Artist Joey Constantine and intro and outro music by American Artist Chad Harvey

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1792 Ridgemont Reserve and Buffalo Trace were once bourbon drinking buddies, but not exactly cousins or brothers. Now after a $334 million dollar transaction between Sazerac and Constellation Brands Inc., these two bourbons are little closer. The New Orleans-based Sazerac Company is the parent company to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort and has brands in their portfolio including Pappy Van Winkle, George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare. Sazerac acquires Bardstown’s Tom Moore Distillery the old Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro, and more than 40 other brands from Constellation. Constellation still has many brands such as Svedka Vodka and a large wine portfolio that they will keep.

So what does Sazerac receive in this deal? First, the historic Tom Moore Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky which was founded by Tom Moore in 1879. Bourbons such as Kentucky Gentleman, Kentucky Tavern, Ten High, Very Old Barton and other labels come out of the Tom Moore Distillery. In addition, the Glenmore Distilleries in Owensboro, Ky. Glenmore has a state of the art state-of-the-art bottling and warehousing operation. Buffalo Trace says it will compliment their award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort.

I spoke with Angela Traver, Public Relations Manager at Buffalo Trace Distillery/Sazerac and asked her if there are any plans of making changes to the bourbon brands that they are acquiring “We have no plans of changing any of the bourbons at the Tom Moore Distillery,” says Traver. “If anything would happen, it would be looking at creating something new. It will take us a while be wrap our arms around all that is happening with the acquisition.”

The acquisition will allow Sazerac to help move one of Kentucky’s signature industries forward, as the work of expanding sales of bourbon whiskey to overseas markets begins in earnest.

Tom Moore Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky – photo courtesy Ann McMichael, Taste of Bourbon

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