BourbonBlog.com Host Tom Fischer Toasts Louisville's Urban Bourbon Trail from an Urban Bourbon Trail Stop: Proof on Main at 21!, photo by Annabelle Ismail

BourbonBlog.com raises a toast to Baxter Station Bar & Grill and Z’s Fusion as they become the newest stops along Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail!In BourbonBlog.com’s backyard, we’ve been frequenting and filming Urban Bourbon Trail establishments for years now and we love seeing it grow.

Z’s Fusion and Baxter Station join seven other bars and restaurants that feature at least 50 bourbons and are committed to the culture of bourbon: The Bar at BLU in the Louisville Marriott Downtown, Bourbons Bistro, The Brown Hotel Bar, Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar in the Galt House, Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge, The Old Seelbach Bar and Proof on Main.

Baxter Station Bar & Grill is located near Distillery Commons, an historic site where bourbon distilleries existed both before and after prohibition. More than 50 bourbons adorn the bar in the 117-year-old neighborhood tavern, which features classic American fare and is located at 1201 Payne Street.

Z’s Fusion, a Euro/Asian fine dining establishment in downtown on Fourth Street, features over 50 bourbons on its menu, bourbon-infused cuisine and special bourbon-themed events.

Open to all residents and visitors age 21 and older, the Urban Bourbon Trail Passport program allows individuals to collect unique stamps from each of the nine participating stops and be rewarded with a special gift. New with this passport printing is a tiered prize system. Participants are encouraged to take their time enjoying Bourbon responsibly. The pace is entirely up to the participant as there is no time frame for completing the Passport. Those who visit all nine locations receive a t-shirt and a premium prize making them a “Trail Master,” while anyone who visits at least four locations will receive the t-shirt and be deemed a “Trail Blazer.”

Within the 60-page Passport, each location is identified on a map with its address and a short description, along with space for notes and the stamp. The booklet also includes instructions on how to use the Passport, and pointers on how to taste bourbon like an expert. The “Just a Step off the Trail” section describes additional attractions, stores and restaurants where bourbon culture is celebrated. There is also a map and guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries.

Passports can be picked up at any of the stops on the Urban Bourbon Trail or at the Louisville Visitors Center, located at 301 S. Fourth Street. Visitors at the Center can explore an introductory exhibit of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and purchase Bourbon Country merchandise, including the popular “Just Add Bourbon” line. For more information about planning a vacation to Louisville…The Gateway to Bourbon Country and the Urban Bourbon Trail visit www.JustAddBourbon.com.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Kentucky Disillers' Association President Eric Gregory and Executive Assistant Kristin Meadors accept the six awards!

BourbonBlog.com congratulates The Kentucky Distillers’ Association for capturing five first-place awards, and one honorable mention, during a gala Tuesday night in Louisville to honor the state’s best tourism campaigns in 2009!

“The Kentucky Tourism Council presented its Traverse Awards for excellence in tourism marketing at the Kentucky Tourism Industry Annual Conference. KDA was only one of two organizations to receive five first-place awards,” KDA President Eric Gregory tells BourbonBlog.com.

“These are exciting times in our signature Bourbon industry, with the skyrocketing growth of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and increasing popularity of our historic craft and brands around the world,” continues Gregory.

The awards were:

* First place, Kentucky Bourbon Trail® marketing campaign
* First place, Kentucky Bourbon Trail rack brochure (designed by The Vimarc Group)
* First place, social media (designed by KDA and The Vimarc Group)
* First place, Kentucky Bourbon Trail press kit (designed by Preston-Osborne and KDA)
* First place, specialty item (oak business cards designed by KDA)
* Honorable mention, Kentucky Bourbon Trail map (designed by The Vimarc Group)

A panel of marketing, public relations and tourism experts from outside Kentucky judged 211 entries in 20 categories on the basis of concept, creativity, design and how well it relates to its audience. KTC has given Traverse Awards since 1986.

The KDA, organized in 1880, represents the state’s distillers that produce 95 percent of the world’s bourbon: Beam Global Spirits & Wine (Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark), Brown-Forman, Diageo North America, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Sazerac/Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey.

Watch related videos and stories where BourbonBlog.com joined the Kentucky Distillers’ Association in Washington, D.C. for the Bluegrass Inaugural Ball on this link. And where we joined the Kentucky Distillers’ Association to fight the new alcohol tax on this link.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail® features eight legendary distilleries, each offering a unique and educational experience on the art and craft of bourbon-making: Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Tom Moore, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Wild Turkey Bourbon tells BourbonBlog.com that they have just released Wild Turkey “Tradition,” a limited edition, 14-year-old, 101 proof bourbon. This Master Distiller Selection, only the third in this series of special selections, celebrates the history of the Wild Turkey Distillery and the traditions held dear by the people of Kentucky. Only 30,000 bottles are available worldwide and just 14,000 have been allocated to the U.S. Suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $100.

Wild Turkey Tradition has been aged for 14 years in new, white oak barrels with the heaviest (and most expensive) level of char. After aging in the “sweet spot” or what’s sometimes called the “center cut” of Wild Turkey’s oldest warehouses, the liquid was bottled at 101 proof in order to retain the true bourbon flavor as has always been done at the Wild Turkey Distillery. The unique packaging combines a traditional metallic base and metal cap with cork stopper with a clean contemporary glass bottle design. It is presented in a special wooden box with an insert describing the rich story behind the product.

“When you’re blessed with a talented father and son team of distillers like Jimmy and Eddie Russell, you want to celebrate their talented touch, and that’s what we’ve done with Tradition,” said Joe Uranga, Vice President of Marketing for Wild Turkey. “With such a limited number of bottles produced, we could easily ask more than $100 for this ultra-premium bottling, but that’s not what Wild Turkey is about. We don’t want to see Tradition become a mythical bottle, but instead we want it to be enjoyed by consumers who truly appreciate a fine, hand-crafted bourbon of such impeccable quality.”

According to Wild Turkey, the nose of Tradition includes warming notes of molasses, raisins and mellowed oak married with the fresh essence of peeled oranges, sweet corn, honeydew melon and luscious vanilla. The taste is bold and crisp, filling the mouth with hints of rye, white pepper and orange zest. This bourbon builds on the warming notes in the nose and develops flavors of toffee and vanilla. The finish is very long with toffee and caramel lingering along with subtle undertones of oak and dried tobacco.

BourbonBlog.com will be reviewing Tradition soon so stay tuned as we will share our notes on this bourbon! Previous limited editions from master and associate distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell are Wild Turkey Bourbon Tribute (2004) and Wild Turkey Bourbon American Spirit (2007). The release of Wild Turkey Bourbon Tradition coincides with Bourbon Heritage Month.

Popularity: 15% [?]

BourbonBlog.com attends the Evan William Single Barrel 2000 Vintage Bourbon Unveiling at the Henry Clay in Louisville, Kentucky and gives you the first online bourbon review of Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 Vintage Bourbon in this episode below. Interviews with Master Distillers Parker Beam & Craig Beam, Heaven Hill President Max Shapira and more PLUS watch our full interviews from the unveiling event linked under the video.

Watch the full uncut interviews with the following people on these links:

Master Distillers Parker Beam Craig Beam
Heaven Hill President Max Shapira
Malt Advocate Editor/Publisher John Hansell
Bert Macor of William Grant & Sons
Mark Gillespie of Whiskycast, The Cast Strength Podcast
Mixologist Allen Katz from The Cocktail Hour, Martha Stewart Living Radio AND Southern Wine & Spirits of New York.

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 Vintage Bourbon will be released to the public in limited quantities near the beginning of 2010.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Woodford Reserve tells BourbonBlog.com that they will release the new Master’s Collection Seasoned Oak Finish on November 1. Seasoned Oak Finish is the fourth in the series of limited edition bottlings. Barrels play a key role in producing bourbon, with approximately 70 percent of the spirit’s flavor and aroma and all of its color provided by the oak barrel. Woodford Reserve’s new offering, Seasoned Oak Finish, features bourbon finish-aged in unique barrels crafted with wood that has been seasoned longer than any previously used in the industry.

“Of all the distillers in our industry, we are the only bourbon company that crafts its own barrels, giving us unique knowledge and control of the process,” said Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris. “As the rough oak staves are exposed to seasonal weather changes and subsequently dried, this natural cycle develops a new range of flavors in the wood.”

This seasoning progression changes the wood by reducing tannins and ultimately creates a new range of flavor compounds. The staves for most bourbon barrels are seasoned for three to five months; however, Seasoned Oak Finish combines fully-matured Woodford Reserve with barrels crafted from wood that has been exposed to the outdoors for three to five years — the longest seasoning known in the bourbon industry.

“By ‘finish aging’ Woodford Reserve in barrels that have been crafted from oak and seasoned for several years, we created a bourbon unlike any other in the industry. It’s the most robust bourbon we have ever made,” said Wayne Rose, brand director for Woodford Reserve. “This special Master’s Collection release emboldens Woodford Reserve with ‘extra-aged’ oak character resulting in a new and complex flavor profile.”

Seasoned Oak Finish is the fourth in the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection series following the Four Grain, Sonoma-Cutrer Finish and Sweet Mash products. Released periodically at the master distiller’s discretion, the Master’s Collection whiskeys are extremely limited in quantity and bottled only once in a proprietary package inspired by the copper pot stills of The Woodford Reserve Distillery.

The inspiration for the Master’s Collection is rooted in the rich history and tradition of what is today known as The Woodford Reserve Distillery. In the mid-1800s distillery owner Oscar Pepper and Master Distiller James Crow studied and recommended use of key processes like sour mashing and charred barrel maturation at the historic Woodford County distillery. These practices are still maintained in the bourbon industry and, today, the distillery receives more than 80,000 visitors annually and is the only one in America to triple-distill bourbon in copper pot stills.

Woodford Reserve Seasoned Oak Finish will be sold in 44 U.S. markets, and a limited quantity will be available in Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. Each bottle is individually hand-numbered and presented at 100.4 proof. Available in major metro

Popularity: 11% [?]

BourbonBlog.com’s full interview with Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker and Craig Beam Interview at Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 Vintage Unveiling. Craig and Parker share how they were both surprised and delighted by the flavor of Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000 Vintage, Parker’s 50 years in the Bourbon whiskey business and more in video below. Watch our coverage of the entire evening on this link.

We only encourage responsible and legal drinking by those who are of legal age to drink in their country or region. Be safe, be legal and never drink and drive.

Popularity: 6% [?]