Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Bardstown & The Kentucky Bourbon Festival Grounds

On Saturday the 15th, after we went to Heaven Hill and Maker's Mark, we had the opportunity to stroll the festival lawn and check out the Distillery's Booths. They were all interesting and some, like Four Roses and Heaven Hill were simply amazing! They put a lot of work into these displays. Noticeably absent though was a Brown-Foreman booth, alas. Besides the booths, there is a typical country fair, which is something I love, with local vendors and food carts and the like. Also, on the festival grounds is the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, which I wish I would have taken pictures inside. Overall it this was the first time I spend appreciable time in the actual festival, but it was a BLAST!

(The Barton Brands Tent.)(Buffalo Trace's Setup.)(Jim Beam.)(The Wild Turkey Saloon.)(Heaven Hill's Mini Heritage Center!)(Maker's Mark Mini Visitor's Center.)(Four Roses. . .)(Indepentdant Stave's Tent.)(The World Bourbon Barrel Rolling Championships!)(Fried Gator On A Stick.)(Where you get your bourbon in Bardstown.)
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is a weeklong event consisting of more than thirty events in Bardstown, Kentucky, United States, dedicated to celebrating the history and art of distilling bourbon whiskey. The town, known as the "Bourbon Capital of the World", has been the site of bourbon distilleries since 1776.

The event started in 1991 as a dinner and bourbon tasting for 250 people. It is now in the Top 10 autumn events in the Southeast United States.

Besides concerts by such famous names as the Kentucky Headhunters, many local distilleries have impressive displays on the lawn, as well as craftsmen such as Bardstown's own Kentucky State Fair blue ribbon Bourbon Baskets. By being on the property of Spalding Hall, the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey is extremely popular during the festival. In 2006, 52,000 people from 37 U.S. states and 13 foreign countries attend the annual festival, making it one of the top three events in Kentucky.


TomC

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